Representing the 26th state, New Holland Distilling were kind enough to oblige us with a bottle of their gin from Michigan, Knickerbocker Gin. In addition to this, the Distillery also make two vodkas, three rums, six whiskies (including one co-distilled with Bill Owens, President of The American Distilling Institute) and, finally, a Hopquila – a kind of tequila that’s made from hops.
Knickerbocker Gin is bottled at 42.5% ABV, and contains a mix of 12 botanicals:
On its own
Nose: Vibrant: full of sweet cinnamon and savoury spice, herbs and a lift of cardamom, which balances out what would otherwise have been quite a heavy nose.
Taste: There’s lots of flavour here, too, making this more intense than a typical gin. Flavours of nutmeg and cinnamon are both strong, the latter being especially apparent on the finish. Juniper appears in the middle, but is surrounded by flavours that seem quite different and separate to it, despite the fact that they all work well together. Generally, this is quite spicy with a pleasant warm, dry finish.
Gin & Tonic
Another sweet and spicy delight, this reminds me a little of the Portobello Road Gin or the new Chase British Gin. Flavours of nutmeg, cinnamon and gingerbread are all strong, making this a good example of an autumnal Gin & Tonic; different, but very tasty with a dry finish. There’s more nutmeg at the end. To balance out the sweet spice, my recommended garnish would be both lemon and lime (or Evans style)
Martini
Very spicy, with lots of dry cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Not bad, but it is a bit odd; some folks will love it, others will hate it. I’m not quite sure which camp I’m in.
Negroni
Sweet and spicy (I guess you are starting to see a trend here); the Christmas spice combo reminds me of cinnamon whirls or the Cinnabon buns that you often get at breakfast for my American cousins. This is surprisingly soft for a Negroni and wonderfully smooth, but isn’t as bitter as many Negronis (it’s almost as if it were a dessert Negroni). Nonetheless, it’s a real pleasure to drink, with a bit of bitterness reminiscent of dark chocolate on the finish.
In Conclusion
Knickerbocker is one of a growing number of gins that chose to emphasise a sweet and spicy flavour profile, full of Christmas spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. This can make it a challenge to mix with, but, with a bit of imagination, this needn’t be a problem. The gin lends itself particularly well to Autumn (Fall) or Winter cocktails, which is somewhere that gin is currently lacking.
My favourite drink was the Negroni.
Cocktails with… FEW American Gin from Illinois
