Smidgin Reviewed by the Scottish Gin Cooperative
Scotland is a country that loves gin. It is a country about the
same size as North Macedonia and has over 160 gin distilleries,
from huge industrial gin factories such as Gordons and Tanqueray
to the smallest craft distilleries. A few restaurants in
Edinburgh even have a gin distillery right inside the
restaurant. Over the past decade, Scotland has made gin into an
art form, with competitions and festivals almost every week in
the summer months.
The Gin Cooperative is one of the
leading authorities on Scottish gin. Formed in 2017 to support
Scottish gin makers, the Gin Cooperative is made up of an
independent group of gin experts.
Graeme, who is the
‘Scottish half’ of Smidgin, took a few sample bottles of Smidgin
to his hometown of Edinburgh last month and asked the Gin
Cooperative to provide a review. The team at the Gin
Cooperative tasted Smidgin, both neat and with tonic, and here
is what they said:
Nose: Bright, fresh juniper with soft citrus.
Palate:
Mellow, with subtle sweetness and spice.
Finish:
Earthy, aromatic, well-balanced.
Their
verdict? A strong gin with bold juniper character and a
definite yes from the experts. We’re proud that our
small-batch Macedonian gin stood tall in the land of
gin. This summer, Smidgin heads into international
competitions to represent the region with flavor, heart,
and a whole lot of juniper. A Macedonian Original. A
world-class gin.
Learn more about the Gin Cooperative →
Scottish gin judge and author reviews Smidgin
SEAN MURPHY is a Scottish Gin Awards judge, writes about
Scotland's favourite gins for the Scotsman Newspaper and
works behind the bar at the world-famous Pot Still gin bar
in Glasgow. Sean is a true gin connoisseur. Sean visited
fifty Scottish distilleries to discover each one's secrets
and wrote a book, Gin Galore about all 50 of the Scottish
gins that he tried. We sent a sample of Smidgin to Sean to
taste and this is what he said:
Initial thoughts: I'm truly excited about trying a gin from what is
essentially the home of juniper and getting to see what that
the fresh Macedonian juniper imparts in terms of flavor.
Nose: Straight off the bat you get that stringent juniper, very
reminiscent of a walk in a forest on a warm day after a
short burst of rain. Over the top of that, there is a
definite fresh vegetable/herbal note of the mountain tea.
The secondary notes then start to come through - picking up
the citrus (grapefruit and orange) and more of the spicy
notes (pepper) and a slight earthiness.
Palate: First thing I noticed was the mouthfeel, rich and oily,
very satisfying texture. That Juniper really punches in
here followed by the refreshing citrus mostly from the
orange. Notes of spice and a herbal almost Mint and
Thyme-like note from the Mountain tea.
With 50% water: The juniper here is just wonderful, ranging to the almost
floral and perfumey. The citrus really comes forward adding
to a forest meadow-like feel on the nose.
Final notes: This is a straight-shooting and traditional
juniper-forward gin. Having fresh foraged North Macedonian
juniper is definitely exciting. Overall, a really fun gin
that has strong appeal and a very interesting recipe.
Skenderoski and Lowther DOO Skopje
Boulevard Ilinden 80, Skopje, Macedonia
+389 76 405 175
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Skenderoski and Lowther DOO Skopje
Boulevard Ilinden 80, Skopje, Macedonia
+389 76 405 175
