Against all doubts, Gin remains the trendy spirit of these days. Hardly any other spirit enjoys such a popularity at tasting seminars, hardly any other type of spirit generates new brands on an almost daily basis. And against this background, even some bizarre trends arise that lead to even more bizarre products. (provided test product)*
In the center of today’s attention is the Prototyp 2.0 London Dry Gin from the Hamburg house of Heinr. von Have (the same manufacturer also produces the beautiful Amber Falernum, which I recently reviewed here). The marketing for this product once again tells the story of the old, long lost recipe, which has been rediscovered, proved to be excellent and thereby built the fundament for a new product. Accordingly, the narrative of Heinr. von Have speaks of an original gin distillate which was first made on December 10, 1958 and then rediscovered in 2015 to become the Prototyp 2.0 Gin. In terms of botanicals, the focus lies completely on organic quality and also provides information on the basic alcohol which is produced from an organic wheat distillate.
The bottle design is very appealing and it is quite a lot of effort that was put into the label design where lots of information about the content are specified. Thus, the distillation date of the “Raubrand” (the first distillation process) and the “Feinbrand” (the “heart”), the exact number of the organic farming certificate and even the alcohol strength after the final distillation (and before the gin is diluted to drinking strength) are indicated on the label. In addition, the bottle is decorated by a technical drawing of the house’s herbal pot still, on which the original gin of 1958 was produced. Finally, the gin is bottled with a promising amount of 47.5% ABV. A bottle (0.5l) costs about 40 euros.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: Wow, that really is an aromatic gin here in my glass, I am very surprised about the intensity. A beautiful, pronounced juniper is facing a very strong citrus note, without making this gin having a list. Earthy and spicy with some grapefruit and orange in the background, the Prototype 2.0 Gin shows a very nice smell, which is absolutely delightful.
Taste: Again, a very nice and complex impression. Of course, juniper, natural citrus (more towards lemon than lime), plus a touch of anise with floral notes of ginger and some menthol in the background. A very good gin that turns out not too fancy and yet offers a complex, very nice drinking experience. My respect to the house Heinr. von Have!
Finish: long, dry and aromatic
At the beginning I said something about bizarre trends in connection with Gin and even if I did not really mention that topic here on the blog before, I was mainly thinking of the unspeakable (if you ask me) combination of Coffee, Gin & Tonic. What has been celebrated in various magazines as the trend drink these days, is actually nothing to write home about if you ask me. I was all the more skeptical when I recently held a “Thomas Henry Coffee Tonic” in my hands for the first time which was already presented as a special edition at the Bar Convent Berlin in this year. Well, I want to be honest: I tried it, neat and in combination with gin and it tastes much better without gin – in fact it tastes very good if you ask me. It contains as much caffeine as a cup of espresso and the combination of bitter, sparkling tonic with roasted-aromatic coffee notes works really well; surprisingly well. Only that I still don’t want any juniper inside, but that may just be a personal thing. Anyway, I like the Prototyp 2.0 London Dry Gin much better with a classic tonic. It may also be a less sweet tonic, such as the Thomas Henry Slim Tonic for example.
Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online.
*The fact that this product has been sent to me by Heinr. von Have free of charge for editorial purposes does not – in any way – imply any influence on the content of this article or my rating. On the contrary, it is always an indispensable condition for me to be able to review without any external influence.
