Magellan Gin is 44%abv/88 proof and is the Blue Gin in the Clear Bottle. This is another French gin like Citadelle and with what I am calling the French Gin style. I associate this with certain botanicals that give it a strange, sharp, floral taste and smell that I had a difficult time understanding at first. I like Magellan, more than I can really say about Citadelle.
Magellan is triple distilled in Cognac, France and mellowed with pure spring water. It has eleven botanicals including juniper, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, grains of paradise, licorice, cinnamon, coriander, orange peel, cassia, and iris. After distillation with the botanicals, the gin is then infused with orris/iris root and iris flower which bring in additional notes of floral and spicy flavors and give it a pleasing blue color. It has a very aromatic and floral finish. When sipped straight it brings a slight tingle to the lips and tongue. It comes in a gorgeous bottle decorated with Iris flowers in bloom and Magellan's ship at sea.
Magellan's recipe and distillation process was changed in late 2005 and from what I heard the flavor changed slightly, the blue color was gone, and they put it in a blue bottle. It then became known despairingly as the clear gin in the blue bottle. Then after tons of customer complaints, and very poor sales, Magellan went back to the original recipe, process and bottle in 2006. I never got a chance to taste the clear version and the bottle I have is one I snatched up this summer that is labeled from the July 6, 2005 bottling and is the original version from before the change. When I pick up a new bottle I will compare the two and let you know if I find any differences.
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