Integrity Spirits, Portland, Oregon, USA.

Founded in 2007 by Rich Phillips, they shared their venue with the Green Dragon brewpub and you could see the distillation being carried out through glass windows in the bar. The Gin was launched in 2008 but sadly Integrity Spirits closed in Spring 2012.

It was made in Small batches using a Christian Carl pot still with a fractionating column on the side. Some of the botanicals were steeped and some were put in the vapor trail, there was also a small variety in the batches as ingredients were sourced locally (and generally organic) according to availability and price.

Distilled Dry Gin, styled like a London Dry Gin/Genever.

45% (90 Proof).

$$$.

12 including: coriander, cucumber, ginger, grains of paradise,  juniper berries (Hungarian or Norwegian), lemon, mandarin, orange and orris.

Named after the number of bridges spanning the Willamette River in Portland, and the number of botanicals in this Gin. The nicely designed bottle had a metal plate label on the front and one of the city’s bridges screen-printed on the back of the bottle.

On the nose are juniper, citrus and cucumber with a grainy sweetness in the background. The liquid looks heavy and coats the glass accordingly. On the palate are juniper, cucumber, citrus and spice (the coriander and ginger) plus a sweet oiliness to the taste with floral notes (probably rose petal).

The cucumber creates a spirit with some similarities to the well-known Hendrick’s Gin.

This is a well balanced and “weighty” Gin. Integrity Spirits say they have made this spirit, as a blending of London Dry and Genever style Gins, and this is no doubt where the “weighty” mouth feel comes across in the tasting. While this is at home to mixing and usage in cocktails, it is a Gin you could easily sip neat, with a little ice.