Damrak Amsterdam Gin is 41.8%abv and 83.6proof. It is what I would describe as an in between style of gin, halfway between a Genever and an English dry style. It is made with malt like a Genever but is much lighter in style than a true Genever because plain, unmalted grain is used as well; and it is then distilled five times. This is definitely a robust gin and has 17 botanicals including juniper, citrus, honeysuckle, and a combination of spices, herbs, fruits, berries, and more.

The aroma is sweet and citrus forward, I think a bit of orange and grapefruit comes through. Then the floral notes come through with the unusual honeysuckle presence, which is very noticeable to me. Mostly because I am very familiar with it from this past summer when I picked thousands of the small honeysuckle flowers, one by one in the mornings over several weeks, and made them into honeysuckle liqueur. This entire aroma comes over a firm but light juniper and malt base. The flavor is spicy and sweet with a hint of citrus and malt, the floral notes, herbs and spices, and finishing with a sharp licorice bite. To call it complex is an understatement, and it is very full and thick on the tongue.

This is not a gin for GnT's. Either serve it in the Dutch style of very chilled as shots, have it on the rocks, or possibly in a cocktail where the fruit and grain will be shown to the best advantage. I haven't tried it in a martini because basically I think it has so much going on that vermouth would just confuse the issue. Once I started tasting this with a few friends, we ended up drinking more than half a bottle, served on the rocks during a long and mellow evening.