Gin No. 209 from San Francisco, CA is a small batch gin that is worth exploring. It is one of the up and coming juniper/citrus flavored gins that we are starting to see more of today. The nose has a very sharp juniper scent with a hint of citrus and herbs. The taste is a forward strong juniper mixed with mostly citrus flavors with a hint of spices. On the rocks it is a very pleasant gin, and it mixed well with a splash of tonic. This is one of the few gins that water very quickly brought out strong aspects that were cloying at first, almost too much of a piney taste. As I added more water this stayed on in the same manner until just a drop more and the piney flavors almost completely vanished except for a sweet and pleasant citrus/floral taste. With a bit more water the citrus faded away as well. This was kind of strange and I haven't had many gins change so radically in taste as they first opened up, and then were watered down. Some of the aromatics used besides juniper are bergamot orange, cardamom, cassia cinnamon, coriander, and others.











