Blackwoods Vintage Dry Gin 2017
Blackwoods · Blackwoods Distillery
Blackwoods is one of the few gins to carry a vintage date, because the wild Shetland botanicals — sea mint, meadowsweet, and others — vary from season to season. The 2017 growing year produced a particularly aromatic crop, and you can taste the difference. This is gin as agricultural product, subject to the same seasonal logic as wine.
Nose
Bright juniper with a distinct pine quality leads, joined by meadowsweet and violet. A subtle angelica earthiness anchors the bouquet, and lemon zest lifts the top notes.
Palate
Clean and brisk, with juniper and coriander seed at the forefront. Meadowsweet sweetness balances the herbal bite, and a ginger warmth develops mid-palate. The texture is slightly oily and satisfying.
Finish
Medium, with lingering juniper pine, a floral violet fade, and clean citrus on the exhale.
- Style
- Vintage Dry Gin
- Botanicals
- Juniper, meadowsweet, sea mint, angelica, coriander, ginger, violet, lemon peel, and wild Shetland botanicals
- Base Spirit
- Grain neutral spirit
- Distillation
- Pot distilled, single batch
Cocktail Suggestion
Shetland Spritz — 2 oz Blackwoods Vintage Gin · 1 oz elderflower liqueur · 0.75 oz lemon juice · Top with chilled prosecco · Build in a wine glass over ice, garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Food Pairing
Cured mackerel with pickled fennel
Foraged by hand each summer from the windswept Shetland Islands at 60 degrees north latitude, Blackwoods' wild botanicals shift in intensity and character with each growing season, making every vintage a distinct expression of that year's climate.
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