Quick – think of your favorite gin. Got one in mind? Good.
Now – think for a second – do you know what style of gin that gin you love is?
For most people, the standard answer to this question has been a London Dry brand. Popular brands like Tanqueray, Beefeater, Gordon’s, and Bombay Sapphire all fall under this category. These gins are grain neutral spirits based, and tend to be heavy on the resinous, piney juniper berry. Other aromatics and flavorings can compliment – but these gins are undoubtedly juniper forward.
And when most people ask for gin, this is what they are requesting.
Over the last several years other classifications of gin have begun to emerge, among them what might be called Contemporary Gins. These gins, like Aviation American Gin, fulfill the basic requirement of having juniper – but then tend to strongly rely on other flavors or use a different base spirit.
About Aviation Gin
Aviation American Gin was founded in 2006 and was one of the first craft American gin’s on the market. Hailing from Portland, Oregon – the owner Ryan Magarian was interested in the downplay of juniper in the style of gin. Partnering with Christian Krogstad, the pair began trying to recreate the long-forgotten style of American Gin.
Aviation American gin did well and earned accolades and recommendations from everyone from Death & Co to Wine Enthusiast. The gin certainly developed a fair amount of attention on its own, but truly took off with the added ownership of Ryan Reynolds. With his stature and charisma, the brand has become increasingly mainstream.
Reynold’s bought into Aviation as a result of his love of it in a Negroni he repeatedly had while filming in his home town of Vancouver. Thanks to some great advertising, and the endorsements – we had to give it a try.
On Its Own: Aviation Gin
Aviation Gin is well weighted on the palate and is relatively easy going on the intake. Key flavors of juniper, cardamom, and citrus are all in play on both the nose and palate. Spice and a hint of bitterness are present (possibly a bark or root), and finishes on heavy on the spice side. The finish is long, with a bit of burning.
For full notes – see our tasting notes below.
In Cocktails
All that basic knowledge about types of gin mentioned in the intro is absolutely wonderful – right up until the moment you’re trying to make a drink. It’s like realizing that whole milk and almond milk are both technically types of milk, but they make your cup of coffee taste very different – they’re not necessarily interchangeable.
We ultimately tested four cocktails:
The Martini & Aviation
To test out Aviation Gin, we started with the basics – a Martini.
We tested two ways – using Beefeater and Aviation Gin – both with Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth. The results were somewhat surprising. While the Beefeater made a run of the mill Martini, the Aviation was somewhat overpowering. Flavors of cardamom and sasparilla become aggressive, overwhelm the vermouth, and give it a spicy, unbalanced top note.
We then decided to try a classic Aviation.
The Aviation was good, but the dominant spice flavors added elements to the Aviation that seemed out of place, and not in a way that I’d go out of my way to find. Unlike the martini, it wasn’t unpleasant – but it wasn’t my go to. Personally, I’d prefer the slight sweetness and gentleness of Hayman’s Old Tom Gin or a classic Beefeater before reaching for Aviation.
So after two cocktails, we started to wonder where exactly this was supposed to be good?
We hit the books and came up with two more ideas
Nick’s Choice: The Negroni
From my perspective (and as we later found out – Ryan Reynold’s) Aviation is ideally suited for bolder cocktails, like the Negroni. The balance of herbal notes from the Campari, along with it’s bitter and sweet flavors, spicing in the vermouth, and the natural juniper and cardamom notes of the gin add up to a highly complex, perfectly balanced drink that let’s every element shine. Where in some iterations the gin can lose some of its gusto, Aviation Gin creates a strong foil – showing the strength of its spice mix in the complexity of the Negroni.
Ann Marie’s Choice: The Pendennis Club Cocktail
My direction was a bit different, as I’m not a fan of the Negroni regardless of your choice of gin because of the strong bitterness that Campari has. Instead, I opted for the fruitier Pendennis Club Cocktail. A mix comprised of peach and apricot liqueurs combine with lime and a few dashes of Creole and Peychaud’s bitters. This allows the juniper of the Aviation gin to feel more herbal while the cardamom essence pairs well with the spice of the bitters. Brightness from the lime and tart notes from the liqueurs allow the citrus peel in the Aviation Gin to pop – resulting in a well-balanced, easy-going cocktail.
The Final Word: Aviation Gin
Aviation Gin is a solid American Gin that’s worth a shot at the price point. Is it the most delicious gin, that’ll be a subjective opinion – and from some of the comments out there – will depend on your own stylistic gin preference. If you happen to enjoy a spicier gin, where juniper is more co-star than lead, Aviation Gin is worth a try to determine if you want it to have a permanent place in your home.
Other’s Share Their Thoughts on Aviation American Gin:
Tasting Notes:
Nick: Aviation Gin has a strong showing of juniper – and use it as a backbone throughout. There’s cardamom present throughout with hints of lemongrass, cinnamon, and hints of floral. The mouthfeel is smooth with little burning and a hint of bitterness, perhaps some bark or root added. The finish is heavily laden to juniper, cardamom, and a light touch of citrus. It disappears relatively quickly.
Ann Marie: A nose of juniper, cardamom, and a hint of citrus – with the pithiness of a lemon peel. There isn’t much sweetness, but the juniper and cardamom make a strong showing. The citrus is more bitter. Lemon peel. The bitterness is similar to a cocoa bean.
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