If a Dortmund resident like me is writing something about the city of Stuttgart in these days, in most cases this will probably have to do with football. And in 90% of these cases it is about Kevin Großkreutz, a former Borussia Dortmund player who is now playing for 2nd Bundesliga team VFB Stuttgart. And even though I can at least say that I have managed to somehow mention the name Kevin Großkreutz in a more or less meaningful way on a cocktail blog, today it is neither about football nor about the said player.
Instead it is again about a gin from Germany. And this Gin has unmistakably to do with Stuttgart because from the very beginning it completely relies on local patriotism (STR is the international airport code for Stuttgart). The distillers behind the product are the two newcomers Markus Escher, whose family operates a vineyard in Schwaikheim (northeast of Stuttgart) and the SWR-host (Südwestrundfunk) and DJ Alexander Franke. The latter was not known to me before but I must also confess that I have never been to Stuttgart in my whole life. This is why I’m actually feeling a little compunctious when writing this because I am certainly the completely wrong person to transport the atmosphere behind the product adequately.
That is why I will start to immediately concentrate on the inner values of the GINSTR Stuttgart Dry Gin. The ingredients for the gin consist of mainly regional products. But since Stuttgart does not offer everything that is required for a solid gin, it is pointed out here that at least all products come from regional dealers from the Stuttgart market hall. The GINSTR is made with the proud number of 46 different botanicals, of which the young company reveals besides the obligatory juniper some rosemary, cardamom, coriander, licorice, kaffir lime leaves, orange blossoms, hibiscus blossoms and pomegranate seeds. At least I have not yet tried a gin with pomegranate, so in this respect I can even find a small innovation. All in all it’s a dry gin bottled at 44% ABV and it joins the ranks of young gin releases of the recent years. Because of the mentioned reason I cannot really make use of the Stuttgart local patriotism thing but perhaps I do like the taste of the inside:
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: The GINSTR starts lemony and woody with citrus peel (lemon, a hint of lime), pine needles and pine cones, rosemary, juniper and some pimento. Over time, even warmer tones come to light: orange, floral notes (perhaps the hibiscus), some anise and a hint of clove. Complex and rather based on the citrus side. A solid New Western Dry Gin.
Taste: On the palate, the GINSTR is spicy and lemony, too. The pine needles and the rosemary are there, lemon and lime peel. The 44% ABV are definitely noticeable on the palate and in the course of time, the oranges and spices are also making their way here.
Finish: dry, spicy, medium-long
I can imagine mixing the GINSTR in a G&T for example with a Mediterranean Tonic from Fever Tree, especially the rosemary would be very good here.
Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online. A bottle (0.5l) costs about 30 euros.
