Bluecoat American Dry Gin
Gin is typically thought of as a British tipple, and no wonder—take a stroll through your local liquor emporium, and you’ll see the gin labels are full of derby hats, regal symbols, uniformed Beefeaters, and the face of Queen Victoria. But while “London Dry” still has a near monopoly on the market, gins from the New World are freshening up the venerable category.
One of the newest and most acclaimed gins to arrive is the Philadelphia-distilled Bluecoat. Described as an “American Dry” gin, Bluecoat uses organic juniper, citrus peels and other botanicals to create a crisp, bright spirit. More herbal and citrusy than more juniper-heavy gins such as Tanqueray, the pot-distilled Bluecoat is an addition to the growing category of “New Generation” gins, a group that includes other highly acclaimed spirits such as Hendrick’s and Aviation.
When I first sampled Bluecoat neat, I was taken aback by the pronounced citrus note. But returning to the spirit, both neat and mixed in a Martini, I’ve come around to its charms: Bluecoat is certainly different from the typical dry gin, but its distinctive mix of citrus, juniper and spice finds a great partner in a decent vermouth; while I haven’t tried Bluecoat in a Vesper yet, I imagine the mix would work quite well.
Bluecoat is gradually expanding into markets across the country. Who's tried it? And what are your thoughts on Bluecoat?
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8 Comments:
I had tried it at the Great American Distiller's Festival here in Oregon and fell in love with the stuff. Just picked up a bottle when I was in California on business. It has a lot more pronounced flavor than any other dry gin I've had, and the distiller claims, if I recall, to use 6 ingredients for their specific blend.
A Vesper, what a fantastic idea! I'll give that a whirl.
tradertiki at 3:57PM on 12/26/07
I ordered a bottle of it online this past weekend. I'm in love with Old Raj gin but it's twice the price. I can't wait to see how this measures up!
DaleCruse at 7:25PM on 12/26/07
I have yet to try Bluecoat but am excited to do so. I love Aviation its great.
Scoggdog at 8:56PM on 12/26/07
i haven't tried bluecoat, but can't let this post about gin go by without mentioning a local (milwaukee) product coming out of the great lakes distillery. they've developed a delicious gin employing interesting flavor components like sweet basil and wisconsin ginseng. its not widely available outside the state, but if you know someone here, have them send you a bottle. delicious!
kissthecook at 12:26PM on 12/27/07
Home grown, eh? Next time I'm in the STATE LIQUOR STORE (PA is SO frustrating), I'll look for it, but how much do you want to bet that they won't have it? Probably more likely available across the river in NJ, or Delaware.
PerkyMac at 4:07PM on 12/27/07
Bluecoat is delicious! I think it may beat out Hendrik's as my new favorite gin.
PerkyMac, they do carry it in PA liquor stores, at least in Philadelphia.
Messily at 5:34PM on 12/27/07
Thanks Messily. I'd better pick some up before New Year's Eve!
PerkyMac at 7:18AM on 12/28/07
I bought two bottles of BlueCoat last month and have just finished the first.
Definitely not your normal London gin, I've mixed BlueCoat versions of most of my gin favorites. The Bronx and the PX's Big O seemed to be off, so maybe staying away from orange is a good plan.
Dunno why Spirit Journal trashed this brand.
andmore at 10:36AM on 12/31/07