N|D Forest Dry Gin
Forest aromas with a delicate sweetness
- Country
- Sweden
- Alcohol
- 40%
- Bottle size
- 500 ml
- Producer
- Norrbottens Destilleri
- In short
- Sweet aromas
- Botanicals
- Juniper, Cloves, Spruce tips, Pine needles, Coriander seed, Lemon peel
These are paid links. See advertising disclosure
Watch the profile video
Aromacode®
- 1 Pine, 54 of 100
- 2 Citrus, 33 of 100
- 3 Fruits, 21 of 100
- 4 Blossoms, 5 of 100
- 5 Grass, 4 of 100
- 6 Herbs, 41 of 100
- 7 Wood, 3 of 100
- 8 Spices, 23 of 100
- 9 Sharpness, 35 of 100
The Aromacode® shows how strongly each aroma comes through. The larger the wedge, the stronger the aroma. Numbers match the list.
Mixers tested with this Gin
-
Good fun
Schweppes Dry Tonic Water
A very good mix. Clove brings a delicate sweetness, and the gin stays true to itself. Not too dry or bitter.
-
-
Better not
Schweppes Indian Tonic Water
The gin gets lost here. Somehow, it all becomes too harsh, no fun and almost furry on the palate.
-
-
Dull
Doctor Polidori Grape Tonic Water
Yes, juniper and grapes are there. But unfortunately, a bitter edge is prominent too. Not an ideal mix.
-
-
Solid and sweet
Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
Fruity and sweet, with a little bitterness coming through in this pairing too. Not too strong, but not at perfect-serve level.
-
-
A boost
Thomas Henry Botanical Tonic
Perhaps the most intense mix: slightly bitter, with plenty of underlying sweetness, just like the tonic itself. But it brings out the gin quite well.
-
-
It'll do
Thomas Henry Dry Tonic
This brings out the clove a little, with some spice, but overall it's no great match. Fine in a pinch.
-
-
A floral blast
Mistelhain Trend Tonic
The tonic already packs a punch, but after the first floral onslaught, the gin's aromas come through well: fruity meets full-bodied. Quite balanced.
-
About this bottle
This gin is made at Norrbottens Destilleri in Sweden's far north. Inspired by the taiga forests up there, they've created a gin that combines local ingredients with others from far away. Spruce and pine provide a local element through needles and fresh shoots picked in spring, while cloves from the Comoros archipelago bring a taste of distant places.
We often think of cloves as an intense spice that isn't particularly delicate precisely because it's so powerful. But they've handled that beautifully in this gin. They spent three months on the balance between cloves and the other botanicals alone, giving the gin a delicate, gently spicy twist that often seems sweet.
Production
Some botanicals macerate in an organic wheat spirit; others are added just before distillation. That helps control the intensity and strength of the aromas in the finished product. A basket containing more botanicals adds further aromas on the way to the bottle.
The spirit then rests for around two weeks, quietly maturing a little further before being reduced to its bottling or drinking strength in several stages.
Nose and taste
Don't worry: this isn't a clove bomb. Smell Forest Dry Gin and you'll get those forest aromas of pine and spruce, paired with juniper and a very subtle touch of clove. No mosquito repellent.
On the palate, it's a rounded, spicy gin that picks up those first impressions from the nose. Close your eyes and you can picture yourself in the forests so cleanly stylised on the bottle. There's a little sweetness, and towards the end, clove appears with its gentle spice. Citrus aromas brighten the overall impression.
Final thoughts
A gin with a lovely approach to its botanicals. Balanced, without hitting too hard, but its flavours aren't flat. I enjoyed it in a Breakfast Martini too. A good addition to a collection, with plenty of uses in different drinks.