Ungava

Ungava Canadian Premium Gin :43.1%ABV

Botanicals: nordic juniper, crowberry, cloudberry, wild rose hip, labrador tea, arctic blend

Ungava gin hails from the north of Quebec, the Ungava peninsula to be precise. This is a barren part of the world and not the sort of terrain from which gin would be produced, one would suspect.  But luckily for us, the hardy folk that live there have garnered enough local botanicals to produce Ungava gin. It is unique in taste, but especially colour which “recalls the aurora borealis that streaks across the great northern Quebec skies at night”. So says the sales sheet, but something that is worth mentioning is that the colour is derived naturally from the botanicals.  

The gin arrives in squat rectangular bottle that I particularly like. Very classy. I love the syllabic characters of the Inuktitut tribe who live in the Ungava region. It is their word for the peninsula and means ‘towards open water’.

The nose is sweet with juniper and an undefinable hint of Canadian botanicals. Atypical but very interesting. 

Neat there is a good hit of juniper and heat to the back of the tongue with a hint of sweet and bitterness; this is the influence of Crowberry and Rose hip. Definitely defined by botanicals that are different from your standard fare. Try it on the rocks with a wedge of grapefruit, unique and alluring. 

I first tried mixing it with Fever Tree but it was not a good match for me, the sweetness of the tonic clashed with the gin. It was much better with Merchant’s Heart tonic, a lovely G&T, not too sweet. It was dry, a touch sweet and bitter; different enough to stand out. And talking of standing out, I liked the subtle golden hue when mixed with tonic.

Slosh a bit of Vermouth in and a very nice Martini is conjured up. Citrus notes come out and the bitter hints are there as is the dry side. Very nice.

I do hope this gets an audience, it is different and daring and deserves to get a foothold.