Smells of lemon, juniper, and soft floral botanicals. The taste is sweet and very lemony, though well rounded with a good balance between sweet and tart; candied orange, apple, and pear notes mingle in the background. The finish is long with virtually no bitterness, featuring notes of lemon peel, cucumber, juniper, and green apple. Overall, this is an extraordinarily good gin, I’ve never tasted apple or pear in a G&T and when sipped straight, the gin is very smooth and citrusy. As with the original Sapphire, there’s not a lot of juniper there, but it doesn’t feel unbalanced or lacking anything at all.
Without the garnish the juniper is much more apparent, though all the other notes, especially the orange and lemon are still present.
A gimlet has a subtle floral/juniper overtone to the sweet and tart lime.
A dry martini (with Bombay’s insane 24:1 ratio) is light and lemony with a smooth and complex botanical finish.
A martinez is equisitely smooth and complex, with a nice balance between fruity and aromatic.
A negroni is beautifully smooth with lots of citrus notes up front and a touch of orange peel added to the classic herbal bitterness of Campari in the finish.