G’Vine Nouaison

G’Vine Nouaison Gin :43.9%ABV

Botanicals: juniper, ginger root, liquorice, cassia bark, green cardamon, coriander,  cubeb berries, nutmeg, lime, vine flowers

Flavour profile: juniper/floral

For the history and background see the G’Vine Floraison review. Nouaison was introduced in 2008 as, one suspects, a counterpoint to its stablemate. Despite sharing the same botanicals and ethos, it is a more traditional gin, and a stronger one at 43.9%.

Nouaison means “setting”, the metamorphosis stage from flower to berry. Quite how the grey of the bottle conveys this is lost to me, but I really like the idea of making the cap a 50ml measure, genius!

On the nose it is less floral with more juniper and spice with the citrus retained.

Neat it is crisper, drier, with more juniper and heat. The floral notes are still there, but this time in the background. The finish is long and warm.

Paired with tonic, spices come to the fore.  The citrus is still there with juniper and subtle floral elements.

This is a very nicely balanced gin; taste wise it sits between the floral Floraison and a dry London gin and is ideal as a cocktail base. Out of the two, it is my preference.

This is a very good gin, but is it good enough to get a foothold in the market at its price point? I first saw it on sale at £40 and at that price, I would say no. But it has recently gone down to £33 on Amazon; I would pay that and think that others will.