Spring44 Mountain Gin
Spring44 · Spring44 Distilling
Spring44 Mountain Gin is a study in restraint and terroir. Where many American gins reach for citrus fireworks or botanical excess, this Colorado-made spirit draws its character from what lies beneath: root botanicals, mineral-rich spring water sourced at 9,000 feet, and a patient distillation philosophy. It embodies the issue's theme perfectly — depth before display, substance before spectacle. A gin that rewards the patient sipper and makes a profoundly grounded Martini.
Nose
Immediate juniper bark and coriander seed give way to angelica root, orris, and a minerally quality reminiscent of wet river stone. Subtle lemon peel emerges slowly, never announcing itself too loudly.
Palate
Dense and grounded, the mid-palate is all root and resin — orris, angelica, and a woody juniper that feels more like forest floor than pine needle. A flicker of ginger warmth and peppercorn spice adds structure without flash. The mouthfeel is surprisingly weighty for 80 proof, carrying an almost chalky minerality from the Rocky Mountain spring water that defines the distillery's identity.
Finish
Medium-long and contemplative. Dried angelica and juniper linger with a quiet, earthy persistence. The final impression is of damp soil after a mountain rain — grounded, unhurried, and deeply satisfying.
Cocktail Suggestion
The Root Cellar Martini — 2.5 oz Spring44 Mountain Gin · 0.75 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth · 1 dash celery bitters · Lemon twist expressed and discarded, olive to garnish · Combine gin, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass with large ice. Stir for 40 seconds — longer than you think necessary. Express lemon twist over the surface and discard. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a single Castelvetrano olive. The extended stir and celery bitters draw out the gin's root-driven depth. · Glass: Chilled coupe
Food Pairing
Sunchokes roasted until caramelized and nutty, tossed with toasted hazelnuts, shaved Parmigiano, and a light lemon-thyme vinaigrette. The earthy sweetness of the sunchokes mirrors the gin's angelica and orris root character, while the hazelnuts echo its woody juniper backbone. The lemon vinaigrette lifts everything without competing with the spirit's mineral restraint.
At 9,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, Spring44's namesake spring produces water of extraordinary purity and mineral composition. Founders Jeff McPhie and Tom Segelke didn't choose this water for marketing — they chose it because they believed the foundation of any great spirit is what you can't see. Their Mountain Gin reflects this conviction: a botanical bill heavy on roots (angelica, orris) and classical juniper, distilled through a process that privileges the unseen architecture of flavor over surface-level botanical showmanship. The result is a gin that tastes like its terroir — mountain bedrock filtered through centuries of granite, expressed as something simultaneously clean and profoundly deep.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Isle of Raasay Hebridean Gin
Isle of Raasay
Isle of Raasay Hebridean Gin is a study in clarity through constraint — a tight botanical bill drawn from the island's own terrain, distilled with disciplined intent. It proves that limitation breeds focus: every botanical earns its place, nothing competes, and the result is a gin of luminous transparency. A quiet triumph from one of Scotland's most purposeful young distilleries.
New Riff Distilling Kentucky Wild Gin
New Riff Distilling
New Riff's Kentucky Wild Gin is a beautifully aerated spirit—distilled with a thoughtful openness to the botanicals' natural character. It's proof that a whiskey-focused distillery can channel that same reverence for terroir and process into a gin of real poise and clarity. A versatile, sippable gin that breathes Kentucky air.
Cadenhead's Old Raj Dry Gin
Cadenhead's
Old Raj is a gin of rare character—the saffron infusion turns a classic juniper-forward profile into something genuinely singular, perfect for the waning warmth of November. Its navy strength makes it a commanding presence in cocktails or neat, and its Scottish provenance from one of the oldest independent bottlers in the world lends quiet authority. A gin that feels like the last golden light before winter.
Ford's Gin Officers' Reserve Navy Strength Gin
Ford's Gin
Officers' Reserve is the rare navy strength gin that earns its extra proof through genuine complexity rather than brute force. The brief Oloroso sherry cask rest is a masterclass in restraint—adding just enough richness to elevate the classic Ford's botanical profile without obscuring it. A gin that rewards trust in the process, and in the craft of blending tradition with innovation.