Notes: This listing is cross-listed in both the liqueur and gin sections.
Plymouth also makes a Gin known as Plymouth Gin a distinctive form of gin .
Made in Plymouth, England, this is one of the few decent sloe gins out there. Made from sloe berries, a relative of plums and also called the blackthorn, sloe berries are quite astringent when fresh. Unlike the bulk of Sloe Gins out there today, Plymouth Sloe Gin is made from a excellent gin base and fresh sloe berries. Many of their competitors use grain alcohol , extracts or chemicals to produce to produce a bathtub gin version of this gin liqueur.

.Appearance: Deep dark ripe cherry color, beautiful clarity. Thick edge line on swirling with long legs slowly forming.

First Impression: First a very distinct smell that is very reminiscent of almost every type of pepper I know of . At first it was black pepper then bell peppers and then traces of Jalapeno. Rather reminiscent of Stag Horn sumac mixed with with the other spices of Plymouth Gin – cardamom, coriander, orris root and citrus, with earthy dry overtones balancing everything out. Then it settles down to a more spicy plum jam bouquet.

Taste: Thick jam like entry and smooth. A bracing mixture of juniper, citrus and the other spices rush headlong through the palate leaving a warm oily wake, mild tingling on the lips and tongue and hints of juniper, citrus and cardamom. Very clean, with a very interesting mixture of herbs and citrus notes. Slight warming burn on the way down. Finish is creamy, long, and quite pleasant.

Drinks: The main ingredient in the Sloe Gin Fizz and a host of other drinks.
We found the Plymouth to be excellent in all the drinks we tried. Think of it as a substitute for cranberry juice with a lot more flavor or as a very fruity, sweet and less herbal red vermouth as ideas to get you started.

Bottle: Recently redone to a deco or machine age style,roughly rectangular clear glass with planed off edges, rounded shoulders and raised edge below neck.

Easy to grip and pour. Shield style paper label with small medallion of a sailing ship at bottom of front panel.

Final Thoughts: Try this against a number of its competitors – you should be able to find 1/2 pints of the cheap stuff in any low end liquor store most of it is a at best a bathtub version and at worst chemical candy. If you are serious about your bar ingredients you need to make this your sloe gin of choice for your bar. Comparable in price to Chartreuse and other high end liqueurs – quality is not cheap but it doesn’t cost much more on a per drink basis than some cheap drink ruining crap. See our cocktail math page for details.

Website: http://plymouthgin.com

Nicely done website loads fast, easy-to-navigate, and clean design. Many illustrated drinks recipes.