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Jewell Gin
About Jewell Gin
I’ve been on a big gin kick for past few months, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for some new and interesting bottles, especially ones from smaller distilleries. And, when I came across Jewell Gin, I was immediately intrigued by the elegant label and high proof.
The family-owned Jewell Distillery is located in Blue Lake, California, a small city in Humboldt county in northern California. The owners, Michael and Barbara Jewell, use their vintage still from the prohibition era to make small batch gins.
Their flagship, Jewell Gin, begins with a spirit made from organic Italian wheat that’s vapor infused with 13 different botanicals. These include two types of juniper, star anise, licorice root, rosemary, spices, and two citrus fruits. The spirit is then blended with mountain spring water to the desired proof.
Bottle Specs
❖ Spirit: American Contemporary Gin
❖ Distillery: Jewell Distillery
❖ ABV: 46% (92 Proof)
❖ Batch Number: 008
❖ Moderate Price
Tasting Notes
❖ Color: Clear
❖ Nose: Licorice, anise, citrus, juniper
❖ Taste: Licorice, anise, citrus. Sweet at first but gets more bitter as spice notes kick in. Noticeable heat
❖ Finish: Long, anise, citrus
Cocktail
Crown Jewell Martini
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz Gin
Add ingredients to a mixing tin, add ice and shake until chilled.
Strain in to a glass and garnish with lime wheel, slice or zest
This recipe for a Crown Jewell Martini couldn’t have come at a more prefect time, because I needed an excuse to use some rapidly aging limes and the last of my bottle of elderflower liqueur. And, these ingredients are pretty strong on their own, so it’s a decent test for Jewell Gin as a mixer.
The licorice notes from Jewell immediately stood out, but there is still a decent balance with the tartness from the lime and floral notes from the liqueur. And, despise using a relatively high proof gin, this cocktail didn’t taste overly boozy. Although, I was feeling it after only a few sips. The elderflower liqueur was more subtle than I was hoping, but it did provide enough sweetness for overall balance.
Bottom Line
RATING: 4/5
Even though gins with strong licorice notes can be hit or miss for me, I still really enjoyed Jewell Gin. The licorice and anise are intense, but they’re accompanied by additional flavors to add some interesting depth. I especially enjoyed the evolution from slightly sweet licorice to herbal spice when I drank it neat.
The bold flavors and higher proof also make Jewell Gin a good option for cocktails. I could still taste the strongest notes in the cocktails I tried, but they were pretty easy to balance, even in spirit forward cocktails like martinis. I didn’t really feel the higher proof while tasting the cocktails, but I was pretty much drunk immediately. So, definitely be careful if you’re a lightweight like me.
As always, drink responsibly.
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