Review: Ology Royal Lavender Gin

The oddly named Ology is a Tallahassee, Florida-based brewery and distillery (it’s first and only distillery, actually), and to celebrate the city’s 200th anniversary, the operation dropped an unusual special edition: Ology Gin, infused with lavender. They call it a “touch of lavender,” but, as we’ll see, there might be more of the stuff here than you expect. Note that while the bottle and its label make the spirit look rather purple, the liquid itself is in fact a rather bright shade of blue. Blue gins are commonly infused with butterfly pea flowers or irises, and in fact Ology uses pea flower for color here. The base distillate is drawn from corn; additional stated botanicals include lilac and lemon.

The nose of the gin is distinctly lavender-heavy, with a floral note that has an almost soapy quality, which is pretty much part and parcel of anything lavender-flavored. That nose however comes at the expense of anything juniper-focused. In fact, I doubt there’s any juniper in the botanical bill at all. Instead, this is all flowers (including some of that lilac) from start to finish, excluding any other botanicals in the mix.

The palate does not shake things up much: Again, it’s quite floral and distinctly lavender-heavy, though that’s not to say it lacks charm. But to suggest this is gin rather than vodka begins to feel like a stretch at some point, though the appearance of some lemon peel notes late in the game is welcome, adding a little fruit and acidity to what can come across here as an overly perfumed experience.

Consider a splash if you need to “blue-up” your drink, but you’ll need a more powerful and traditional gin to serve as the base for any cocktail.

84 proof.

B / $26 / ologybrewing.com

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