Berliner Brandstifter Berlin Dry Gin
Now that's something different
- Country
- Germany
- Alcohol
- 43.3%
- Bottle size
- 700 ml
- Producer
- Berliner Brandstifter
- Botanicals
- Juniper, Cucumber, Woodruff, Elderflower, Mallow flowers
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Aromacode®
- 1 Pine, 24 of 100
- 2 Citrus, 13 of 100
- 3 Fruits, 54 of 100
- 4 Blossoms, 67 of 100
- 5 Grass, 23 of 100
- 6 Herbs, 19 of 100
- 7 Wood, 12 of 100
- 8 Spices, 45 of 100
- 9 Sharpness, 34 of 100
The Aromacode® shows how strongly each aroma comes through. The larger the wedge, the stronger the aroma. Numbers match the list.
About this bottle
Botanicals
The locally grown botanicals for Berliner Brandstifter are harvested and distilled individually. The distillates are then brought together in the finished gin, using the wheat distillate from Berliner Brandstifter Vodka as the base.
With woodruff, cucumber and elderflower, this gin takes a rather distinctive approach. Juniper stays mostly in the background without disappearing altogether. Still, it's easy to see why it sells so well and is so popular. Which brings us to the flavour.
Tasting
Nose
Brandstifter is distinctly floral from the very first sniff. There's a little earthiness, but fruit and floral notes dominate. They immediately suggest sweetness, something you can't actually smell, only imagine. I don't currently know another gin with this aroma. Definitely unique, then.
Palate and finish
The flavour stays close to the aroma. Taste it with your nose closed and it seems a more robust gin, but who holds their nose during a gin tasting? The overall impression really is a combination of smell and taste, particularly so here.
Floral notes bounce back and forth with a gently sweet-seeming, fruity base, mixed with firmer touches of juniper and a little heat. There's warmth on the finish, but a very long-lasting, slightly perfumed aftertaste remains in the mouth.
Verdict
Berliner Brandstifter has a personality of its own. It won't necessarily win gold with every juniper purist, but that's precisely what makes it such an approachable, soft gin. It's floral and fruity, with a certain freshness at the same time. Not a sharp citrus freshness, more an undertone. A gin that will appeal to plenty of people.
Individual distillates come together in a gin that tries to capture a little of Berlin through locally harvested botanicals. A New Western-style gin with juniper in the background.