From Italy a gin reminiscent of not just Amalfi, but limoncello
Review Malfy Con Limone gin
Made in: Moncalieri, Italy, by Torino, Distillati In
Base: Grain
Method: vacuum distilled
41% alcohol/82 proof
Botanicals : Juniper, lemon, amalfi lemons, coriander, orris root, bitter orange zest, grapefruit zest, anise, cassia.
Style: Modern Gin.
Malfy gin has been on my radar for a while. It’s one I’ve noted on shelves and in glasses around New York, but up until last night I hadn’t tasted it. So when I was looking to test something new this week, this bottle with the bright blue and yellow label caught my eye.
Depending on who and where you ask, you’ll find a different botanical mix listed for this gin. From combined sources (and my taste buds) I believe the botanical mix I have listed is the correct one.
This gin is modeled on the flavors of the Amalfi coast, where citrus, mostly used in limoncello is the norm. This gin not only incorporates some of those lemons, but it seems to me that limoncello is a big part of the inspiration for this gin.
Tasting notes:
Straight, without ice this gin has a very rough edge, but that smooths and dulls as the gin dilutes a touch. If you like intense gins you can certainly sip this one, but it probably is best cut just a touch before you drink it. A little soda water went a long way.
The nose here is powerful, so much so that after the bitter lemon and juniper you can only get some hints of coriander and a floral essence of perfume as a background scent.
This gin packs a wallop when you first taste it, it’s sweet, sour and bitter all at the same time - your tongue is assaulted by lemon, bitter orange zest, with subtle floral notes, plus a slight, but not overwhelming sweetness, ripple across the taste buds. Behind them are the very subtle notes of coriander, and pepper.
Mouthfeel is cool, acrid and slightly sweet.
Mixability:
My thinking was that based on it’s strong flavor figuring out how to use this gin in a cocktail could prove to be a touch difficult. But as always I figured to give it my best shot.
In a martini, the Malfi proved to be strong and a bit harsh. While the flavor was good, due to its strength it was much better in a more traditional martini, but not great in a dry one. An extra dash of Noilly Prat evened it out beautifully. It was bitter and lemon forward, but enjoyable.
In a gin and tonic it’s good, but it’s a call as to what tonic water will work the best. Personally I found that it was more of lemonade, than a gin and tonic with traditional tonic water. But when I tried it with Fever Tree’s Mediterranean tonic water in a 1 part Malfi- 3 part tonic water ratio it was quite good.
For a more complex cocktail the gin almost naturally seemed to lend itself to making a Corpse Reviver #2 cocktail - where the lemon, orange liquour, vermouth, and dash of absinthe, allowed the gin to shine as a key ingredient and created quite a nice cocktail.. It did require cutting back the lemon just a tiny bit though, but it worked quite nicely.
Overall:
This is a nice gin. It’s fresh and light, and perfect for a hot summer day, either as a martini, or with tonic, or sparkling water - but this is so far from a traditional mixing gin that it’s hard to say that it will be easy to adapt to many cocktails. That said, any cocktail with a strong citrus component should be adaptable to this gin.
I can definitely find a place for this gin in my collection, and for those who aren’t faint of heart you’ll enjoy it too..
Flavor profile:
spice 1/5
herbal: 1/5
Juniper 3/5
Floral 2/5
Citrus 5/5
Heat 3/5
Overall rating: 83. Make no doubt this is a very good gin, and enjoyable BUT it’s as strong as a navy strength gin in flavor. It may be overwhelming for some.
What you need to know about reviews: All my reviews are my honest opinions based upon my own personal tasting. I am NOT a paid reviewer, and no compensation was given, or expected. I may from time to time choose to do a second review and amend my opinion of a product, should I feel like it and find my review criteria has evolved, or that I’ve found it different at a later date. That said, as I’m unlikely to repurchase anything I thought was less than very good to excellent, it would be by chance or at the request of a distiller who thought I rated them very unfairly - BUT even then, whatever you get will always be my honest opinion.