Time for the first bottle from my 2025 UK Grand Tour! The first stop on the tour was at the Forest Distillery; located in the Peak District, Forest Distillery is currently the highest altitude distillery in the UK, being located 515 metres above sea level! I’ve talked with the folks at Forest a few times since my initial visit, and they’re all around lovely people!
Bottled at a rather specific 39.5% ABV, this gin, on the surface, is not the sort of spirit I would normally buy. My relationship with gin could be best described as a “formal” one, and my opinion of tea is rather sour overall, however after getting a small taste while on my visit to the distillery I was shocked to find myself really enjoying it! I remember it being my favourite of the day, but I also remember being rather tipsy when I first tried it, so how will it hold up to my sober, more scrutinous palate?
The aroma contains very prominent pine, but does have other lingering notes of lemongrass, dill and coconut upon repeat nosings. The front is quite the combination of flavours: chewy toffee laced with juniper and white chocolate; giving off an earthy, yet buttery sweet start to the taste. The body introduces more of the titular flavour, as earl grey makes its first appearance, leading into some subtler notes of satsuma and cashew humming away in the background. The finish is quite nutty, with notes of roasted chestnut and pistachio, rounded out by the gentle spice of a dash of white peppercorn. The dram clings to the tip of tongue nicely, it’s not overly invasive. The palate overall isn’t dry, but I hesitate to call it sweet either. It’s just well balanced all round.
Dilution doesn’t affect the smell outside of dulling it slightly, which is expected. The palate meanwhile is slightly sweeter overall, with notes such as nectar and sultana being more prominent than before, however it is now also interspersed with rather sharp twinges of black tea.
For me this is a gin I’ll happily drink neat, but many gin drinkers don’t tend to drink their preferred spirits on their own. If you want this gin long I personally find mild ginger ale compliments the flavour of the gin the best, but then again I do tend to pivot towards a spicy, sweet palate. If you prefer something drier, then simple standard tonic will do the trick (not diet tonic, it’s flavour is too thin for this particular tipple).
Overall this dram has quickly become one of my favourite flavoured gins. It walks the line between the dry nature of juniper and tea, as well as the sweetness of fruits and nuts rather well. The juniper is certainly quite prominent, but I feel it compliments the earl grey well, which is why I prefer this particular gin neat as dilution removes a lot of that juniper influence. I’d highly recommend giving this a try if you’re interested, it’s a bit of a splurge for the common person but I’d say that the price is well worth it. If you’re not sure though, go give the Cat and Fiddle a visit to try it for yourself; no better place to try it than straight from the source after all!
This post’s recommended song is: “Moths” – Racing Glaciers
