Notes: Not terribly sure about this one for a number of reasons. I am even less sure of the reasoning behind some of their decisions regards to packaging and marketing, to be honest…and to some degree, they are of course interrelated.

The website says that the packaging concept ( see more comments of mine under “Bottle “) comes from the following  “ENGINE celebrates an imaginary made of oil and fuel cans, motocross races and racing vehicles, in memory of the great myths of the 1980’s such as the timeless Dodge Charger, the car baptized General Lee in the successful TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. ”

REALLY? The car emblazoned with the Confederate Flag? A number of people and even hip hop bands and TV shows have commented on that particular bit of symbolism, production of the toy models halted,  and a number of the surviving cars have had their flags painted over. While not a fan of political correctness, I find it a bit questionable to tie a new brand’s image to a Confederate flag.

Ingredients are all organic using natural (non-RO) water and are mostly sourced from Italy. Vacuum distilled with a number of different botanicals, some are added during distillation while others are added as oils later ( compounded) made by Torino Distillati

Appearance: Clear, almost quicksilver in the glass, on swirling rapidly leaves thick oily coat with droplets followed by a few tears and lots tiny droplets

First Impression: Very citrus forward with the lemon and elderflower coming to the fore. Cardamom, sage, and licorice follow on. Very much a nonstandard sort of London Dry with the juniper pushed back into the background over layers of other botanicals.

Taste: Slightly oily entry with sage citrus and cardamom taste backed by elderflower, rendering it a touch sweet if a bit fiery. The licorice reins this in a bit and the finish is medium long.

Drinks: Definitely not your average London Dry Style. More an extreme version of say Hendricks or some of the summer limited editions of other brands we see from time to time. In the right drinks, it works well but it is an odd one that will require some experimentation to make it really shine for you.

Bottle: Actually not a bottle at all! This gin comes in a 750 ML tin with a metal screw top.
It is supposed to resemble an oil can – which is, frankly, arguable. Some cans may have looked like this, but not much engine oil cans did. A few specialty motor oils yes, but this can is mostly reminiscent of chemical solvent cans. It more closely resembles cans used for turpentine, varnish, paint thinners, and a host of other poisons. Not really sure what poison control agencies would think of this packaging. Also, a further potential problem is for commercial bar use. Yeah, interesting idea, put a quick poor is not going to fir on it. Great from a smuggling standpoint into somewhere or on your janitors’ cart at a school, but not sure if I agree with the overall aesthetic.White and blue (upper third white, bottom ⅔ deep blue with a rectangular red label with white lettering “Engine” “Fuel The Dream” in white letters Organic Gin and a shield medallion with and engine graphic and a lightning bolt S on the graphic. Back of can has scannable QR code for website and fairly detailed ingredient list and exhaustive organic certifications.

Other: We applaud their enthusiasm for race cars but question some of their marketing decisions.

Final Thoughts: A bit fiery, lightweight in the body, and a somewhat off selection of botanicals to call this a London Dry style. Interesting but not to our taste.

Website: www.engine.land

An interesting website with a lot of decent recipes and some interesting graphics.
Not entirely sure what the main thrust of the page is? Seems like a lot of real estate is dedicated to individual artists? Also, the swag/shop area is full of a lot of very expensive ( for what they are) pieces of clothing and other items.