Notes: Owned and operated entirely by women ( a rare thing in the spirits industry), Danielle Leavell, their master distiller, has a very impressive set of credentials.
Astraeus gin is both macerated (18 to 36 hours, depending on which one it is and the desired level of extraction)  and then distilled in one pass. It is also made from a Barley single malt (think Scotch or Irish whisk(e)y base not a Neutral Grain Spirit or  NGS in industry parlance).
This is important because it lends a whole host of nuance just by being an essentially unaged whiskey base (AKA White Dog) rather than a distilled-to-death vodka base. Another example/analogue would be a Belgian or Dutch genever base a whole lot of mice grain notes and not just alcohol fumes as a base.

The base botanicals for all 5 of their gins have six to eight more or less standard gin botanicals ( in varying amounts, we assume, but a base skeleton or framework) of juniper, coriander, yarrow, sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel, lemon peel, cassia, and orris root. In this case, the modifiers are heather, sage leaf, strawberry leaf, oat straw, and red clover blossom, with lemon peel and cassia NOT included in the base botanicals to make the very distinctive Desert expression of their gin..

Appearance: Faultlessly clear and bright, almost quicksilver or luminous. It leaves a light to the medium oily coating on the glass when swirling, with tears forming on the meniscus (edge line) after a bit.

First Impression: Lovely classic London dry base notes with intriguing desert botanical notes wrap seamlessly around, elevating the bouquet and adding some interesting notes and a certain edge. Very distinctive in a positive way!

Taste: Delicious slightly oily entry ( as it should be with a decent base and the botanicals) with a nicely drying and aromatic lift as it warms on the tongue. The grain base adds a depth and complexity of barley grain that is simply absent from most London Dry type gins. And the gin is so much better for it ! The blend of all the grain is the baseline for a symphony of taste, with the botanicals filling in the rest of the composition nicely. Astraeus has what the Japanese call ” Shirepin.” It has a tail… A nicely long finish with aromatic, slightly alkali, and drying finish, with the oiler botanicals being the last to disappear, giving you a long and savory departure to be savored.

Drinks: Chilled, it can make an, of course, desert dry martini on its own. Either just chill it somewhat ( not too cold as you can, at some point, dumb down the botanicals. Or if you must stir it with some ice and strain ( For the love of God, don’t shake it!) It can certainly be enjoyed at its bottled strength of 115 proof ( 57.5 % ) with a garnish. However, if you don’t want to slip bonelessly under the table after a few, you might want to stir it with ice and let it dilute a bit. I am exploring other cocktails with it currently and will update, but so far, it has worked well with just about every cocktail we have tried that is gin-based. I just want to tease out some cocktail recipes that will make it even more the gin I would use. It certainly has enough quality and taste and has no obviously disqualifying oddness ( unlike some gins) to worry about. And part of the fun of a gin like this is the exploration!

Bottle: Attractive tall cylindrical bottle with a rounded shoulder and short neck ( enough to grip at least!) The decanter style bottom gives it a nice lux decanter type of look, and the grade of the glass almost makes it sparkle. The label is a medieval history students dream, and a printer’s nightmare- high relief printing with subtle gradations of the color of the print on a very dark bronze background with a lot of botanicals and a few animals – harks back to the Culpepper Botanical of 1645 and similar period graphics.
The name is also a nice touch of mythological origins. The stopper is a wooden top in a natural finish a well-thought-out synthetic cork design, and a lip to the rim, which not only makes for a better seal put also MUCH easier to pour (the gin doesn’t want to run down the side of the neck and all over your hand like some designs)
Overall, the bottle shows the same level of detail that the gin does!

Other: As a sidebar ( and a digression), In terms of shall we say, approach, or even an analogous portfolio ( although their methods diverge widely from some of their more commercial brethren), think Hendricks gin and its various expressions in which a base is modified with other botanicals for a unique new expression ( which in the case of Hendricks comes and goes – many not to be seen again). While that is an interesting and amusing concept, having to keep up with constant and changing new products ( and teasing the cocktail research for signature cocktails out of each one and getting customers to try and hopefully like it) seems a bit arduous. Also, with no guarantee of continued production of any given expression, it makes one reluctant to develop drinks for them ( never mind all the menus).
This is not the case at all with Astaueus, which has a stable five expressions of their gin to work with and a unifying label/brand.

Final Thoughts: A standout for a gin which starts from a very solid London Dry origin and marks a very particular expression of it. Something that should satisfy both the old-guard traditionalists and invite those new to gin to explore their garden of botanicals.
A delicious and nicely distinctive gin that stands out from an ocean of failed gin expressions that the industry has been littered with over the past number of years.

Website: www.Astraesspirits.com

An attractive and fast-loading website with a lot of information for most people. A little light in some departments for the spirits geek like me, but you can always reach out and ask questions.