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Bayab Classic Dry Gin
About Bayab Classic Dry Gin
Bayab African Grown Classic Dry Gin is produced by Spearhead Spirits – a company founded by African-British duo Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin. As a brand, Bayab aims to celebrate the best of African botanicals, and represent the continent on bar shelves everywhere.
Their gin expressions are distilled in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using botanicals from all across the continent of Africa. This particular bottle of Classic Dry Gin is made with juniper, baobab, coriander, rosemary, cinnamon, and orange peel – as well as coarse salt.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 43%
❖ Distillery: Midlands Distillery
❖ Aging: N/A
❖ Price Point: upper moderate
My Tasting notes
I took a whiff of this gin, and the aroma was immediately delightful. The nose notes had an airy quality, and were fruity, earthy, and somewhat sweet.
I took a sip, and found that it was quite smooth. There was a sense of warmth to the flavor, which was so unique that I couldn’t really think of anything to compare it to. It was earthy and almost nutty, similar to how some root powders taste nutty. The aftertaste has a slight spicy kick, but the spice did not linger on the tongue. All in all, this is the most interesting gin that I’ve tasted in a long while.
Cocktail
For my cocktail, I wanted to go with something simple and semi-classic, and add an unexpected garnish. I thought it would nicely reflect how Bayab strikes a balance between classic and contemporary styles of gin. Or, at least that’s how the marketing made it sound! There was only one way to find out for myself.
The Business is a tasty Bee’s Knees variation by Sasha Petraske, which I originally found in his book Regarding Cocktails (paid Amazon link). Luckily, my local market carries Kiwano, also know as African Horned Melon. This delicious fruit is native to the southern region of Africa, and it happens to look pretty rad on the rim of a glass.
The Business
❖ 2oz gin
❖ 1oz lime juice
❖ 3/4oz honey syrup
- Add the ingredients to a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
Inside of a cocktail, this gin was very smooth and tasty. It added a nice warmth and earthiness to the flavor of the lime juice, with a slight spiciness in the finish. While sipping my drink, I think I blurted out the phrase “it’s perfect” about 5 different times.
The kiwano slice made a nice garnish, with a fresh, water-like scent on the nose.
Bottom Line
RATING: 5/5
At the end of the day, I absolutely love this bottle of Bayab African Grown Classic Dry Gin. As I mentioned above, I haven’t tried a gin this interesting for quite some time – possibly since 2022 when I reviewed Las Californias Nativo.
Although the gin is advertised as Classic Dry, it feels much more contemporary, and I personally did not find it particularly juniper-forward or citrus-forward. That said, the flavors were very well-balanced and delicious. Though the price point may be a bit of a splurge, I think it’s absolutely worth it for the quality.
I also appreciate the brand’s sustainability efforts, which seem to be fundamental to the design of the distillery. All in all, it’s a company you can feel good about supporting, with a product that might just become your new favorite.
As always, drink responsibly.
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