Cocktails with… Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin

Nolet’s Silver Gin, I was very excited to try this gin and so was thrilled when it arrived in the post.

Something that I thought was interesting was that Nolet describes their Silver Gin as being “Created for a new generation of Gin drinkers”. It also talks of reinventing much-loved classic cocktails. This suggests that the target audience may not be the stalwart of Gordon’s and Tonic drinkers, but a more contemporary clientelle; this seems like a similar Modus Operandi to Hoxton Gin.

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Having said this, in terms of brand style, they couldn’t be more different: Hoxton has a funky, minimalist edge, whereas the Nolet bottle oozes sophistication and is, frankly, one of the best examples of gin packaging that I have seen; it is probably my favourite.

Nolet is made at the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Holland. You may recognise the name; they also make Ketel One Vodka.

Although I’m not sure of the exact botanical selection in Nolet’s gin, it must contain juniper and I assume that it also contains coriander. In addition, there are three botanicals that they make well-known:

1) Peach
2) Raspberry
3) Turkish Rose

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What I do know about Nolet Silver is that each botanical is distilled separately and then they are blended to a perfect balance; this is similar to how Sacred, Sloane’s and Moore’s make their gin. As a method, it seems to becoming increasingly popular. But this method is not yet fully recognised as accepted practice in the creation of London Dry Gin.

Own
nose: floral nose, violet and rose and a fruity jamminess; pale yellow colour
taste: juniper and then rose Turkish Delight, followed by citrus and then a dryer, floral citrus on the finish. This is bottled at 47.6%ABV and although the gin is smooth you can taste it’s higher proof.

Gin & Tonic
the pale yellow of the gin comes through to the gin and tonic. Juniper and rose on the nose. Taste initially of juniper and sweet floral notes, similar to Parma Violets or Refreshers sweets. A little crisp, fresh floral and tasty.

Martini
Cool and crisp, but the rose/Turkish Delight is very strong. There’s some dry juniper at the end. Overall, this is quite a clean Martini and is pleasant to drink, but you just can’t escape the rose. But then, maybe you wouldn’t want to?

Negroni
Lovely stuff, the juniper and bitter-sweet herbal notes is over-layed by the light sweet rose hints; Turkish delight and some jamminess. This a complex drink, deep, flavourful and quite excellent.

Alexander
I suspected that this would work well and it really does. Sophisticated and delicate, with an interesting layer of complexity: juniper, jam and dainty rose. Really very good.

Collins
Fresh and pleasant, like a gin lemonade with a hint of rose. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade. Tasty, refreshing and a great drink to welcome guests to a party or  event with.

Pink Gin
Different, with strong, spicy, herbal and floral flavours. There’s also juniper and rose with a  bitter twist; maybe more importantly, it tastes quite nice.

Gin Buck
Rather delicious: this sweet, complex gin mixes well with the fizzy ginger and there is a long, rose/Turkish Delight finish.

Bramble
Tasty and tart, the rose floral elements and the jammy raspberry go well with the citrus and the blackberry liqueur. A new twist on an old favourite, but a very good one; Mrs B. loved it.

Aviation
Dry and crisp with tart citrus and the medley of rose, Creme Yvette and Maarshino works really well in the drink. Depsite the fragrant nature of the gin the drink is not too floral and very tasty.

Gin Old Fashioned
The flavours of the gin are accentuated in this cocktail: rose and jammy fruit come through with a   hint of sweetness and a touch of extra herbal complexity from the bitters.

Fruit Cup
The floral aspects of the gin go well with the ginger wine and the herbal red vermouth stops the drink from becoming too sweet. This is quite a light drink and is unusually floral for a fruit cup, but, as a fruit cup should be, is still rather refreshing.

In Conclusion
I was very impressed with Nolet’s Silver and it is clearly made with care; from the label to the spirit to the fantastic bottle. To me, it is a stirling example of a modern gin. It manages to adjust the predominant flavours whilst keeping the spirit’s history in mind. However, this certainly isn’t a juniper-led gin of the classic London Dry persuasion and so fans of this traditional style of gin may be disappointed.

Nolet’s is a contemporary gin, with new flavours and is a twist on a  traditional juniper spirit.

Our favourites were: Bramble, Alexander, Gin Buck and Negroni.

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