Flavor Profile

From that distilling hotbed that is the Pacific Northwest, we have another new entry. This one is from Bluewater Distilling in Everett comes with a sustainability focus. A portion of profits go to an environmental organization; the gin itself proudly declares it “organic.” It also performed well at the Seattle Gin Society’s annual Ginvitational. Halcyon Gin won best Washington gin.

Tasting Notes

Halcyon Gin begins with juniper, fresh lemon and a hint of cinnamon spice on the nose. Smells smooth, very nice, very gin-like. The taste echoes the nose beautifully. Deceptively smooth for a 92 proof gin.

Further, it’s a little earthy and warm first, juniper builds quickly with citrus sweetness hovering just around the edges, never quite overpowering the juniper forward approach. A nice earthiness with angelica and orris root hovers on the edges. Juniper forward, and actually quite smooth the whole way through.

Halcyon’s finish is moderate, juniper and citrus. Mild heat, but never burning. Very nicely balanced with a good quality and nice flavor. I’m really enjoying Halcyon Gin.

Cocktails

I really liked Halcyon Gin and tonic. It gave off a nice warm juniper and gin like character that compliments the quinine.

Pulls off the Negroni nicely, with a subtle juniper flavor. Doesn’t taste as powerful as other 90+ proof gins in this drink, but it’s still quite good. The smoothness and flavor of it cause Halcyon gin to excel in a martini.

I found it hard to find a cocktail that I did not like Halcyon Gin in. Aviation? Beautiful. Corpse Reviver? Southside? Double Check. Where other gins sometimes wilt, or highlight “off” notes, Halcyon excels across the board.

Overall, Halcyon Gin

For a long time, if you liked classic gin— it was hard to find an American made an alternative. You had to go with Gordon’s, Beefeater, Tanqueray, Boodles or Broker’s.

But things have changed in recent years. You now have gins like Chapter One or Halcyon Gin that prove that you can make a good juniper-forward gin in the united states. And even if it doesn’t say “London Dry” on the bottle it has every bit of the stereotypical London Dry flavor of the aforementioned names.

In short, this is a gin that I am adding to my personal cabinet.

Highly Recommended.