South Gin is from New Zealand and is 48.2%abv / 96.4proof. Made from grain neutral spirits from Genetic Engineering (GE) free wheat ,distilled twice, then it has spring water added and is re-distilled a third time to get some regional character from the water. The nine botanicals in this gin are juniper, lemon, orange, coriander seed, angelica leaves, orris root, gentian root, local New Zealand manuka berries, and New Zealand kawakawa leaves. There are some unusual botanicals in this gin. The first is gentian root. I love the bitter herbal taste of gentian root which is the base flavor of my favorite soda, Moxie. The others are manuka berries and kawakawa leaves which are used in the traditional Maori medicine of Aotearoa called Rongoa Maori.

This gin has a very light nose, faintly spicy with a hint of juniper and citrus. The company says that the "fragrance is similar to walking through the bush after it's rained." Well I haven't been to New Zealand and walked through the bush after a storm but at least I now know what to expect when I do. Someone please take me to New Zealand... Pretty please?

The taste is spicy, sharp, complex, and unusual; with water it opens up massively to a huge hit of the sharp herbs and spice, brought together by the juniper. You can tell that there are some unusual botanicals in this Maori medicinal based brew which must come from the manuka berries and kawakawa leaves. This is a very dry and sharp gin, the exact opposite of the current trend in sweet, citrus fronted gins, much to my great pleasure. It's very different, it's gin, but again I say it's very different. A mighty good gin and I would assume from the medicinal botanicals that it's good for you to, or at least I want to think so. A strong nod back to gins traditional roots as a medicinal tonic, but with a great taste. I Like it!