The West Winds Gin The Cutlass

The West Winds Gin The Cutlass

Today is World Gin Day! I know, everyone has had it in their calendar for so long that it’s nearly been forgotten, but I’m here to remind you with a special weekend post. The gin of the day is the The West Winds Gin The Cutlass.

This is likely to be the last such post, that is a post directly related to a World or International Day of something or other, because I just haven’t been that impressed with any of them yet. I’ve “participated” in days related to Carignan and Malbec, and while the latter did get some attention thanks to the tireless efforts of Wines of Argentina, I think it was more of an event among Spanish speakers. But I’m willing to give it one last go for gin, well, because it’s gin we’re talking about, and an Australian gin at that.

I do love gin, be it in a G&T, a Martini, or any classic cocktail. I especially like Australian gin, as perhaps you noticed when I reviewed the Wild Gin from Kangaroo Island Spirits. It turns out there are more than just a handful of gins produced in Australia, and as it may be a topic for a future research paper of mine, I’ll leave discussion of all of them for a later date. Suffice it to say, generally they’re small scale production but high quality, and often unique in their use of native botanicals.

I covered gin generally when I wrote about KIS Wild Gin, so I don’t want to repeat too much, but essentially it’s a spirit that has been flavoured through the introduction of botanicals, of which juniper is the cornerstone. The choice of botanicals generally determines the flavour of the resulting beverage, and the method by which they are introduced can vary a great deal by quality level. I tend to think botanicals introduced in the classic redistillation method using a basket in the neck of the still yields good results, others prefer the botanicals right in the pot of the still, and some gins are made through the introductions of botanical compounds that can be a simple matter of pouring and stirring.

So this gin is from a company called The West Winds Gin based in Western Australia. I can’t find a date when it was established, but it’s fairly new – this year I believe. It’s the product of Jason Chan and Jeremy Spencer, and is made in the Margaret River area, which at least in this context is much better known for wine.

They produce two gins, The Sabre which is a traditional British gin at 40% ABV and this one, The Cutlass, at 50% ABV. I had never really seen spirits bottled at different alcohol levels until I was introduced to W. M. Cadenhead’s Old Raj pair of similarly potent gins, but since then I’ve seen rums bottled along the same lines. The alcohol levels are not the only difference – the botanicals in The Sabre are lighter, with citrus, juniper and coriander seed paired with the local wattle seed for a uniquely Australian flavour, while The Cutlass has Australian bush tomato (one of the non-poisonous varieties I’m sure) and a higher measure of coriander for a more herbaceous, spicy flavour.

One thing I like about Australian gin is the use of native botanicals, and that’s very much what The West Winds Gin is pushing as a (relatively) unique selling point. I mentioned a couple of them already, but in addition to wattle seed and bush tomato, they also use lemon myrtle, cinnamon myrtle, and apparently much of the coriander is grown locally. They’re even able to source 35% of the juniper from within Australia, which is no small feat. It’s an attempt to bring the concept of terroir, or a sense of place, to gin, which is something of a new thing. Gin is generally made anywhere (except for Plymouth Gin) and ingredients are predominantly imported. Juniper, for instance, is much more commonly found in continental Europe than anywhere near London, and the citrus components commonly found would likewise have to be imported into Britain. Growing all your botanicals where you make your gin is quite challenging, but The West Winds have made a good start.

Funnily enough, at least one other gin producer has tried to introduce the concept of vintage to their gin, meaning all the botanicals are from the same year and I had exactly the opposite reaction in terms of thinking it was a good thing. It does make more sense in the context of a gin made from locally sourced botanicals, but what makes a good vintage for juniper in Italy might make for a bad year for oranges from Seville. Also, most gin producers use dried botanicals, meaning their year of origin is less important.

Finally, a quick word about how this gin is produced. I couldn’t find any details on the bottle or on their website, which can sometimes be worrying in that producers who use mega-industrial scale distillation or cold compounds in place of proper botanicals might be less inclined to share those details. Jeremy Spencer very generously had a minute to chat (on World Gin Day – very kind of him to make the time) and with The West Winds Gin the opposite is true. They use a small 150 litre copper pot still backed up with a 5 plate column still, their botanicals are a mix of fresh and dried, and they’re put right in the pot (as opposed to in a basket in the neck). So while they’re modest about it, they’re making what I call proper gin, and they’re not cutting any corners (or expenses) as they do it.

This tasting is based on The Cutlass gin straight up in a small measure at a cold but not freezing temperature, though obviously from the picture you can see that I went on to enjoy a martini with a twist of lemon.

In the glass it’s clear and bright, water white with obvious legs when swirled. The nose is clean with a medium plus intensity. There are strong citrus notes, lemon and lime, very zesty. There’s also a herbaceous note, not quite capsicum, but along those lines. On the palate it’s much more savoury, still with the zest and fiery alcohol, but with white pepper and herbs, plus that capsicum flavour coming through more strongly. It has a good mouth feel – a weighty body but a very smooth texture. It has a high flavour intensity, and long length with a lemon / lime finish.

I’m pleased to say that this is a very good gin. First, it’s unmistakably gin, which is the most important thing for a gin to be. If you taste a gin and think it might be a vodka, it has failed. Second, it delivers in terms of intensity both on the nose and on the palate. Some people prefer their gins delicate, and there are certainly gins in that category, but I like mine to be more strongly flavoured and this one fits the bill. Finally, this has a nice balance between the citrus and more savoury flavours, which puts it a step or two up on the complexity ladder above more one-dimensional examples. It’s not a gin for everyone – between the extra 10% ABV and the strong flavours, it might be a bit much for some in a martini, but if you take your gin with tonic it will certainly not be lost underneath the quinine.

LINK: The West Winds Gin The Cutlass