The first thing you notice when nosing Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin is an aroma reminiscent of wine. The small batch gin is crafted by Master Distiller Andreas Vallendar in the Saar region of Germany using hand-picked botanicals which have been infused with Riesling grapes.
Named after its co-founder, Ferdinand Geltz, the gin is made using Riesling grapes grown on the steep shale vineyards of the Zillinken Estate in the Saar-Mosel-Ruwer VDP region in Germany and locally sourced botanicals. The gin is distilled using over 30 botanicals which are represented periodic table style in “The Table of Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin Elements”. The botanicals include juniper, sloe, rosehip, angelica, hop blossom, lavender, bergamot, quince, lemon thyme, almond shell, coriander and ginger.
On the nose, the gin is aromatic with floral top notes along with citrus and grass as well as juniper in the background. The palate displays intensity along with floral and spice notes and finishes dry.
In a classic gin and tonic, it pairs well with the subtle flavours of Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic which do not overpower the botanicals in the gin. In a Martini, the dry gin goes well with Noilly Prat vermouth as the botanicals and wine base interplay very well.
Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin is bottled at 44% ABV and comes in a 500 ml bottle luxuriously wrapped in paper. It is well worth adding to your gin collection.
This article was originally published on June 2, 2015 on our sister website Gourmantic.
