Tarquin’s gin

My reviews are always conducted with the upmost impartiality and therefore, before I can embark on this specific review, there is something I must get off my chest. I am a Cornish boy. Having spent most of my young life in the best county in the southwest of England, I have adopted, perhaps through osmosis after spending too much time in the sea, the Cornish way of vehemently defending anything from our sacred land. Pasties? Obviously Cornish, anyone who even suggests they might originally be from Devon and should be crimped on the top can, for want of a better term, “do one”.  The whole point of the crimped side crust was so that miners could hold onto their lunch without getting the main body of their pasty covered in coal dust; the Devonshire top crimp makes absolutely no sense.

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Although I carry myself like a true London gent, Cornish blood runs through me, like veins of tin deep in one of our ex-coal mines…before bloody thatcher shut them all down.

With that small disclaimer announced, on with the review; Tarquin’s gin is a small batch spirit produced by a family run company in the North of Cornwall. A self-styled ‘contemporary take on a classic London dry Gin’, Tarquin’s uses a botanical mix of;

·         juniper berries (Kosovo)

·         coriander seeds (Bulgaria)

·         angelica root (Poland)

·         orris root (morocco)

·         green cardamom seeds (Guatemala)

·         bitter almond (Morocco)

·         cinnamon (Madagascar)

·         liquorice root (Uzbwkistan)

·         violets (Devon)

·         fresh citrus zest (orange, grapefruit, lemon)

So how does it taste? I find this painful to say, it doesn’t taste great. On the nose there are heavy notes of coriander seeds and mild aromas of juniper but on the palette there is an overwhelming bitterness and a weird taste, almost like I am chewing on pine needles. I am unable to detect the array of amazing ingredients sourced from around the world that should create a great gin. When compared to my favourite gin, Sipsmith, Tarquin’s has an amazing lack of juniper on the palate and for me that is an essential component for great tasting dry gin. Perhaps I should add that I am neat testing this gin and perhaps the flavour opens up when added to tonic, but for now…I am sorry Cornwall, but for me, Tarquin’s gin hasn’t delivered the goods on this occasion.

Rating: 4/10

Average price: £35.50 (For a lot less, you can buy a lot more)


Joseph