Our reviews
Scotland is a country that loves gin. It is a country about the same size as North Macedonia and has over 160 gin distilleries, from huge industrial gin factories such as Gordons and Tanqueray to the smallest craft distilleries. A few restaurants in Edinburgh even have a gin distillery right inside the restaurant. Over the past decade, Scotland has made gin into an art form, with competitions and festivals almost every week in the summer months.
The Gin Cooperative is one of the leading authorities on Scottish gin. Formed in 2017 to support Scottish gin makers, the Gin Cooperative is made up of an independent group of gin experts.
Graeme, who is the "Scottish half" of Smidgin, took a few sample bottles of Smidgin to his hometown of Edinburgh last month and asked the Gin Cooperative to provide a review. The team at the Gin Cooperative tasted Smidgin, both neat and with tonic, and here is what they said:
"Nose: Juniper is unmistakable, bright, fresh, subtle citrus.
Palate: Juniper up front, but it’s not too full on. Quite mellow in fact, with a very subtle sweetness. There is a mild spice in the middle somewhere.
Finish: Very subtle aromatic, earthy notes.
The above was neat and with tonic, we found it to be very enjoyable and refreshing. We understand that you want the juniper to shine through, and it does, … it goes without saying that Smidgin is a strong gin and we definitely approve of the dominant juniper flavour profile."
Smidgin's distillers and the whole team are delighted to have such a positive review. We knew that the Macedonian juniper berries created an especially delicious classic gin flavour and this review from a group of gin experts really confirms that we have made something special.
This summer Graeme will submit Macedonia’s only gin to some of these competitions and events and we look forward to more positive affirmations that we are making a truly special gin. A Macedonian Original, Smidgin is a world-class craft gin, and we hope that you like it as much as we do.
More about the Gin Cooperative: https://thegincooperative.com/
SEAN MURPHY is a Scottish Gin Awards judge, writes about Scotland's favourite gins for the Scotsman Newspaper and works behind the bar at the world-famous Pot Still gin bar in Glasgow. Sean is a true gin connoisseur. Sean visited fifty Scottish distilleries to discover each one's secrets and wrote a book, Gin Galore about all 50 of the Scottish gins that he tried.
We sent a sample of Smidgin to Sean to taste and this is what he said:
Initial thoughts: I'm truly excited about trying a gin from what is essentially the home of juniper and getting to see what that the fresh Macedonian juniper imparts in terms of flavour.
Nose: Straight off the bat you get that stringent juniper, very reminiscent of a walk in a forest on a warm day after a short burst of rain. Over the top of that, there is a definite fresh vegetable/herbal note of the mountain tea. The secondary notes then start to come through - picking up the citrus (grapefruit and orange) and more of the spicy notes (pepper) and a slight earthiness.
Palate: First thing I noticed was the mouthfeel, rich and oily, very satisfying texture. That Juniper really punches in here followed by the refreshing citrus mostly from the orange. Notes of spice and a herbal almost Mint and Thyme-like note from the Mountain tea.
With 50% water: The juniper here is just wonderful, ranging to the almost floral and perfumey. The citrus really comes forward adding to a forest meadow-like feel on the nose.
Final notes: This is a straight-shooting and traditional juniper-forward gin. Having fresh foraged North Macedonian juniper is definitely exciting. Overall, a really fun gin that has strong appeal and a very interesting recipe.
Once again we are delighted with this positive review from Sean. We can't wait to enter Smidgin in some of the UK gin competitions this summer and are very hopeful of winning some awards. Smidgin is the original Macedonian gin and a drink to be proud of!
