Craft Gin Club - February

So some months ago, I joined Bubble Club, which was a subscription box for sparkling wine. I ended up receiving two boxes before I cancelled; Matt doesn't drink bubbles, and I just can't down an entire bottle on my own on a regular basis.

One of my Bubble Club boxes came with a tiny sampler of Haymans Old Tom gin. It sat on the shelf for a while, because I always thought that gin tastes like Christmas trees. Matt finally broke down and tried it one night, and I guess I hadn't tried good gin before, because we both really liked it. Since then, we've had fun trying different kinds, although Haymans is still very high on our list.

When I found out that the company that does Bubble Club has a gin subscription box, I knew we'd want to try it. We joined just in time for the February box (& luckily during a special offer), and here's a peek at what we received.

That is a whole bottle of gin (70 cl), a sample of tonic water, three snacks, and a magazine (not pictured). Of course, we popped open the gin and tried everything right away.

The gin 

The tasting notes in the magazine, Ginned!, say the following about Salcombe Gin Start Point.

     Citrusy and floral on the nose, on the palate the earthy, resinous notes of juniper combine with warming, spiced citrus. A fruity, peppery heat from cubeb pepper mingles with the warmth of cinnamon, descending into a finish lengthened by green cardamom.

Matt and I both really enjoyed this gin. It's very smooth, with a light citrus flavor. Neither of us like a heavy juniper flavor, and we were pleased at the clean flavor of Salcombe. Not quite as sophisticated as the notes above, but we're still new to the game.

The snacks

Tyrrell's Sweet and Salty Poshcorn

Honestly, I didn't think I'd like this at all. I like popcorn, but not kettle corn, which is what I expected this to taste like. In reality, they had combined regular salty popcorn with sort of a sweet glazed variety, in equal measure. And I think I'll give English sweet and salty popcorn another chance, because it was a very nice flavor.

Bahlsen Choco Moments (mint flavor)

This is a light butter biscuit with a thick layer of dark chocolate infused with mint. The mint flavor is very strong, a bit much for me on its own to be honest. But it pairs well with the gin, which mellows the flavor of the biscuit nicely.

The Devon Fudge Company Salcombe Gin Fudge with Pink Grapefruit

Yes, this fudge is actually made with the gin we received. The flavor is lovely, very creamy, and the sweetness of the fudge takes away any bitterness from the grapefruit flavor. I wouldn't mind trying more from this company.

The tonic

Luscombe Grapefruit Tonic Water

Matt likes his gin with tonic, and he's not picky about brand or anything. Tonic can be quite bitter to me, and I usually pair my gin with lemonade (here lemonade is a white soda, like Sprite). The Luscombe tonic was a bit more smooth than others I've tried, but the grapefruit flavor is not for me. I'll stick with lemonade for now.

Overall, Matt and I were both very pleased with our first gin of the month box. Of course, the thing we looked forward to most was the actual spirit, and we weren't disappointed. I can't wait to see what comes in March...