Grab your pith helmet, Golden Moon's Expeditionary Gin has arrived - David T Smith has a gander!
Golden Moon distillery is located in Golden, Colorado (12 miles west of Denver) and is overlooked by the Lookout and Tabletop Mountains. The distillery was founded in 2008 by Stephen Gould, a man with vast array of career experience: from being a corporate executive to a bartender and saucier; he is also a retired US Marine.
In addition to all of this, Stephen is a spirits and distilling historian and educator, not to mention a bit of a hoarder of distilling relics: he has a collection of over 20 stills, the oldest being from late 1800s, as well as over 600 spirits books and manuscripts, including original distillers’ notebooks. His oldest book dates back to the 16th century.
Today, Stephen makes a wide variety of spirits, including: whiskey, absinthe, applejack, grappa, liqueurs, and other spirits. Of course, it is his gin that is the only concern of That Boutique-y Gin Company.
The original Golden Moon Gin is a romanticised version of a real pre-Prohibition gin. Why romanticised? Well, Stephen only got a chance to taste it once and so had to work from memory to try and recreate it. When he eventually had the chance to try the original gin again, he realised that he had just remembered the good points and, as a result, his final gin was even better.
The Expeditionary Gin adds a twist to this romanticised gin, sympathetically adjusting it to appeal to the tastes of the British gin-drinking public. The floral lavender has been dialled down and the gin is dryer, with the addition of citrus, menthol and the aromatic, peppery flavours of Grains of Paradise.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Bold with exotic spice; a leafy, green, herbal note reminds one of jungle vibes.
Palate: Spicy fennel and floral lavender make way for crisp juniper, then some sweeter earthy notes.
Finish: A lingering finish of black pepper and anise.
Given the gin’s bold character, Stephen himself likes to drink it mixed in a Gin & Tonic, but also feels that it stands up well to Campari and Red Vermouth in the creation of a rather zesty Negroni. You may also want to try it is a Perfect Martini (equal parts gin and vermouth) and use a Bianco (white sweet) vermouth instead of the more typical dry variety.
In addition here are some other drinks to try:
Gin & Tonic
50ml Expeditionary Gin, 150ml Tonic Water - Twist of lime peel, spritzed over the top.
Dry with crisp citrus and aromatic floral notes. The finish is a mix of lavender and lingering, light pepperiness. The twist of lime really highlights the drink’s zest and liveliness.
Gimlet
50ml Expeditionary Gin 20ml Lime cordial - Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
An intriguing interplay of sweet and sour, and floral and pepper notes. This Gimlet is fresh, but not as tart as some others and the botanical flavours of the gin are more pronounced without overpowering the drink with juniper-pine.
Long Pink Gin
25ml Expeditionary Gin, 3-4 splashes of Angostura Bitters, 120ml sparkling water - Serve over ice in a tall glass or goblet, garnish with a lemon and lime wedge.
A tropical cooler, great to sip on a balmy afternoon. Whilst this is a less alcoholic drink, the botanical power of the gin certainly holds its own - just make sure there is a plentiful supply of ice.
DTS
Off-trade/on-trade enquiries should be directed to our UK distributor, Maverick Drinks.