Long Table London Dry Gin, at a glance

Last night I had the pleasure of picking up a bottle of Long Table's small batch London Dry Gin from the liquor store. Going to visit their distillery directly can be somewhat of a challenge, as their posted hours on Google reveal they're only open two days a week (Friday and Saturday) from 12:00 till 6:00 PM. Not exactly the most opportune hours, but I didn't let this get in my way.

I've been meaning to pick up a bottle so I can start filming an episode of 'The Bottle Opener' for my YouTube channel again, so you can imagine the hours are somewhat problematic, for someone who wants 'the inside scoop'. Nevertheless, their website is always open for reading, and a quick browse of the BC Liquor Stores app for iOS revealed that one could find Long Table's coveted gin at the Davie and Cardero street liquor store, or their vodka at Robson and Bidwell. Davie and Cardero is just a short jaunt from work, so naturally I obliged myself by picking up a bottle.

After opening the bottle, the girlfriend and I did the classic nose test of smelling the cork. The obvious smell of juniper and pine needles struck me immediately. And in tasting it on the rocks, I can report that I didn't have the urge to explore my gag reflex - something that can happen when tasting a new spirit, without any perception of what you're going to taste. Suffice to say, it's what one might expect from a good gin. It's rather palatable and easy to swallow, with classic aromas, as well as a few notable surprises. There's a hint of spice finish over top of the initial blast of Juniper, which blended quite well with the Lavender Scrappy's Bitters.

Thinning Long Table out with tonic revealed a few more flavors that were masked beneath the Juniper as well. There is an essence of perhaps lime, lemon, or grapefruit in there; which I didn't have the opportunity to take many notes of, as I unfortunately only had one glass. The pine needle smell was ever present, but with the addition of tonic, I could find notes of fresh cut grass.

All-in-all, I should say it's quite a good gin. Similar to my tasting of Mare a few months ago, I would say that Long Table can hold it's own and be enjoyed without having to mix it with too much, if anything. I'd lean towards the classics; Martinis, Gin and Tonics, or Gin and Sodas for this one. Stay away from the Negronis, I think, as you might lose out on some of it's botanical essence once you add Campari.