Does it Really Get Better With Age?

Citadelle Reserve Gin, Photographed & Edited by Sofia Miranda

After sampling Seagrams Extra Dry Gin I decided to dig out my bottle of Citadelle Reserve, another aged gin from a more premium producer. Having been surprised by the quality of Seagrams and with a slightly hazy memory of Citadelle I was hoping for big things...

Citadelle Reserve is the combination of the original Citadelle Gin a vibrant French gin containing a staggering 19 botanicals, with a few months ageing in what one can only assume given their cellar master would be ex Cognac casks. The bottling I am sampling is from the 72nd bottle from cask 9 of 21 from 2008.

Usually I skip the aesthetics of gin during tastings, Clear? Yes! Good is the usual format of such things, obviously with an aged gin it is necessary to take a gander. The Citadelle Reserve has a lovely light golden colour, slightly reminiscent of a crisp, fresh white wine.

At first on the nose I was met with a surprising amount of juniper, something the unaged expression of Citadelle isn't known for, this juniper hit was quickly followed by a rather unusual yet welcome vanilla nose with some spicy peppery notes, a classic aroma courtesy of the coriander. After a breif break and a breath of fresh air I nosed the gin a second time, to my amazement the aroma had transformed and I was greeted with a fresh lemon citrus hit, I also got the aroma of what I can only describe as hops, a little bit of an unusual one for gin but very interesting nonetheless, highly complex on the nose now on the the main event, the palate!

The complexity of this gin continued on the palate, most notably the oaky sweetness, i'm thinking vanilla and a hint of caramel, this was followed by a light citrus tingle with the juniper taking a step back from the dominant aroma I first encountered, other notes include spicy coriander and bitter orange as well as a wide variety of other flavours not identifiable but minglng to form an incredibly complex and interesting bottling.

All in all a thoroughly pleasant experience, aged gin however unusual it may seem is begining to make a name for itself if not only among a small number of those in the know, whether it will ever be the next big thing is yet to be seen, Seagrams is a super large brand but whether this is more to do with advertising and mass production rather than the quality and interest in it's unusual production methods is a debatable. Either way, Citadelle Reserve is an exceptional and very unusual gin, one I would encourage ever gin enthusiast to indulge in. I look forward to sampling the next aged gin to hit the market, rumour has it this will be launched at Gin Fete 2011!

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Umpleby & Brown