Gin Tasting: Drumshanbo Gunpowder vs. Hendrick's and Bombay Sapphire

[canyonwalker]

It's Monday night. What better time to get soused on gin?! Okay, no, I haven't gotten soused on gin, but I have done a 3-way taste test of gins this evening. And it being a Monday was only slightly intentional. I've been waiting several weeks to do this.

The three gins I've lined up for tonight are Bombay Sapphire, Drumshanbo Gunpowder, and Hendrick's. Drumshanbo is the newcomer, so I'm putting it up against an old favorite and a more recent favorite.

Introductions:

• Hendrick's has been my go-to gin for the past several years. It's more expensive than most gins but its smooth taste makes it worth it. It's not only beaten every gin I've compared it to, it's won by a mile. Hendrick's is the defending champ.


• Bombay Sapphire was my standard gin for many years before I found Hendrick's. I admit, I started drinking it umpteen years ago mostly because of the attractive blue bottle. Like most people, I figured the fancy bottle meant it had to be good. 🤣 I'm including it in this comparison to benchmark the other gins against a widely known premium brand.


• Speaking of pretty bottles, Drumshanbo. Wow. It's not only blue like Bombay Sapphire, it's fluted. I hope they spent half as much money on making a great gin as putting it in a great bottle. 🤣 But seriously, I picked Drumshanbo as the challenger here because I've read a lot of good things about it.

Taste Test:

I tried all three gins neat. That's an unusual way to drink gin. With its harsher flavors it's typically better enjoyed in a simple cocktail. Gin martinis and gin & tonics are popular drinks. Gin, straight, isn't. But I tried all three gins this way to appreciate their characters undiluted.

• I tried Drumshanbo Gunpowder first since it's the challenger. It's got a surprisingly clean taste, not too harsh, with a tinge of tea leaves. That's what the "Gunpowder" in the name refers to, BTW. It's infused with gunpowder tea... not gunpowder.


• The reigning champ, Hendrick's, came next. I was shocked to find the champ wilting in the first round of sips. After the unexpected smoothness and interesting character of Drumshanbo, Hendrick's tasted a bit flat.


• I included Bombay Sapphire in this taste test as a benchmark with a common,premium gin. After the other two, sipping Bombay was like tasting kerosene. Okay, premium kerosene. 🤣 Cheap gin has a pretty nasty character (kerosene, could you guess?) and Bombay is way smoother than that, but the harshness of the juniper remains.


• I went back to the other two and took a few more sips of each. Tasting them neat like this I have to give the edge to Drumshanbo Gunpowder over Hendrick's!

So, Drumshanbo wins this round. Like I said above, though, neat is an unusual way to enjoy gin. I'll have to try these as gin & tonics— my customary way to enjoy gin— in another round! 🍸🍸😋

Comments

Drumshanbo

[readingblogs]

Thanks for doing a gin taste test! At an event this weekend, my companion had a gin and tonic from the open bar. This piqued my curiosity. Which gin should I get if I want to make it at home?

Your last paragraph reminded me Drumshanbo may not triumph in your gin & tonic taste test. So I'm waiting...