Reviews: Bluecoat Gin
Bluecoat Gin is missing out on the greatest marketing idea since those weird inflatable guys they have in front of car dealerships. (You frighten me floaty, dancing-man...and yet I can't help but want to buy things from you.) You see, the unexplainable urge to give the finger to our British allies when they aren't looking is as much a part of American culture as apple pie and whacking balls with giant phallic symbols in totally non-gay displays of manliness. That's why Bluecoat Gin needs to hire Boozeblogger to improve their advertisements. I did this with just 5 minutes and a bit of seamless photoshop magic.
"This 4th of July, declare your independence with Bluecoat Gin and celebrate how we kicked Great Britain's collective ass with a bunch of farmers and absolutely no help from the French."
Americans have been making their own Gin for a long time. Back in the 60's, when the driest of the dry martinis were all the rage, ad men started writing copy that speculated whether a British dry gin could possibly be dry enough to accommodate our Martini. We've come a long way since the bathtub gin of prohibition and Bluecoat shows we've learned a lot from the British gins that still dominate the market; in my opinion small batch, independent spirit brands like Bluecoat are poised to take a much larger share of that market.
THIS GUY is just about ready to make-out with the damn bottle.
Dear Bluecoat, I would also wear a shirt that has "Bluecoat" on it. HINT! HINT!
I like Bluecoat....yep. I can't freaking help it. The bottle taps into my latent sense of patriotism and the Gin itself is just plain tasty. Whether or not it rivals all it's British counterparts is another question and one I don't think I can answer for you. What I can say is that the taste speaks for itself as a truly original expression of Gin. Like Drinkhacker I immediately picked up the mint character that really is rare to find in any gin. I like mint in most anything so I'm only more fond of this gin for it. Another nice thing is that the juniper is there but it's not punching you in the face. Speaking of...at 94 proof you'd expect a little face-punching but Bluecoat is actually smoother than many other gins that have a lot less kick.
I give it 4 Mel Gibsons in The Patriot (the good kind of Mel...you know...before he went insane)
Price: $30 Check it out online: www.bluecoatgin.com
December 2nd, 2010 - 08:48
I didn’t pick up on the mint. I felt like it was a very overpowering citrus flavor, definitely hints of Juniper but very much in the background.
It doesn’t work too well in a gin and tonic, but in every other gin cocktail (especially fizzes and tom collins) it is spectacular.
I definitely agree, I think it and other American style gins are poised to seize a larger share of the market as vodka drinker’s palettes become more sophisticated and subtle. Good review though, I enjoyed it.
December 2nd, 2010 - 11:18
Thanks Aaron. That may be so about the Gin and tonic but I think the reason is the quinine in tonic water requires some seriously powerful juniper to balance it. Personally, I hate the gin and tonic and see its continued popularity as some kind of misguided nostalgia and/or acquired taste. I know…BLASPHEMY…but I’d rather risk the malaria.
Glad you enjoyed the review.