Great Basin Bristlecone Gin is fermented and distilled in house from Cache Valley Red Winter Wheat and Pumpernickel Rye grown by Jake Burtenshaw in Idaho Falls, ID. It is then cold-macerated with Juniper, Fennel, Angelic Root, Coriander seed, and citrus peel. This a floral bomb, made for a classic martini.
Great Basin Bristlecone Pines are remarkable for their great age and ability to survive adverse growing conditions. In fact, it seems one secret to their longevity is the harsh desert stretching from Utah to California, in which most Bristlecone Pines grow.
One member of this species, at 5,068 years old, is the oldest known living non-clonal organism on Earth. Consider a trip to visit the Bristlecone Grove on Mount Washington in the Great Basin National Park. Be sure to pack a bottle of Bristlecone Gin! The map to the grove is on the back!
Did you know: The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine is thought to be the longest-lived of all sexually reproducing, nonclonal species on Earth!
Our custom pot still and distillation techniques provide a grain neutral spirits that is the perfect solution to macerate and render the oils and flavors from the hand selected botanical ingredients. We use organic juniper, citrus peel, Angelica Root, Fennel, and Coriander to create the floral and herbaceous sipping gin.
Make sure you have a clean palate (your mouth). Common palate cleansers are bread or unsalted crackers.
The first thing to look for when tasting a new gin is what it looks like. Take note of its color, is it clear or cloudy, light, golden or dark – this can help prepare your brain for what is about to come next.
Commonly referred to as “nosing” this is where you sniff the gin to soak in those delicious aromas. Short quick sniffs are best to capture different aromas. You have about 7 seconds before your nose gives up and stops noticing things so try and identify things quickly.
The first sip is always a bit of a shock to the tongue, so take a small sip to get the light burn out of the way so you can then focus on the flavors.
Take a second, slower sip and let the gin float around your mouth and the vapors float into your nose to identify more aromas. Here you want to look for sweetness, bitterness and spiciness & acidity. Make a note of what you observe.
Next, take another sip and pay attention to the consistency or the gin, is it smooth, light, thick? Does the flavor intensify or stay the same? Compare this to what you noticed in The View above.
Swallow the gin and pay attention to the after taste. How quickly does it fade away? Do more flavors present themselves, do other flavors disappear?