Review:

Alambi'c
Special Islay II Gin

Made for Alambic Classique, Bad Wörishofen, Bayern, Germany, by an undisclosed distillery in Scotland, UK.

Alambic Classique.

Alambic Classique is an importer and wholesaler of specialist spirits, and was established in 1981 by owner Hermann Suppanz.

This Gin was released in 2014 and follows previous Cask Aged Gins in the Alambic Classique collection, but is not to be confused with its older sibling Alambic’s Special Islay Gin.

This is made with an undisclosed but “well established” Gin. It is distilled, matured and bottled in Scotland from a single cask, limiting the number of bottles available with each production run. We have heard a rumor that the base Gin brand used is none other than The Botanist, which just happens to be made on Islay. However, we have been unable to substantiate this information.

This 2014 edition has been aged for 5 years in whisky barrels from Ardbeg Distillery found on the Isle of Islay in Scotland, and is limited to only 145 bottles. The yellow colored Gin is presented in a rectangular clear decanter-style bottle, tapering from the bottom to the top and with square shoulders. It has a large rectangular blue-grey colored label with text and design in gold foil.

Barrel Aged Gin.

49.8% ABV (100 Proof).

$$$$$$$$$$ - $$$$$$$$$$$. Not available in the USA. It is made for the German market and we have been unable to identify a suitable supplier to ship to the USA, although Uvinum does ship within Europe.

Unknown.

Alembic (Alambic in French) is the general term for the copper distillation equipment used to produce distilled spirits (specifically Cognac when using the French word) - the two spellings are often unknowingly used interchangeably. Here the French spelling is paired with a description of the spirit to create the Gin’s name.

Unfortunately with the limited availability and difficulty in sourcing a supplier, we have been unable to sample this Gin. However, we understand it has juniper, citrus and smoky bergamot on the nose with creamy soft honey, caramel and vanilla on the palate.

We suspect this may appeal to Gin and Whisky drinkers and would dearly love to try this ourselves.

Unknown.