Review: Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin with Italian Fig and Laurel

Ireland’s The Shed Distillery is reaching deep into the botanical bag to keep their annual limited-edition offerings flowing. If you thought last year’s Brazilian Pineapple was exotic, this latest release is maybe even more unique. In collaboration with Bruno Vanzan, two-time world champion mixologist, Drumshanbo chose two Mediterranean botanicals for this latest limited release gin bill: Italian Viola Fig and Tuscan Juniper. Both were slow-distilled in Drumshanbo’s copper pot still, along with the gin’s eight other classic botanicals and complement of vapor-infused citrus and namesake Gunpowder tea. Thoughts follow.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin with Italian Fig and Laurel Review

The nose is intensely citrussy, perhaps the boldest and juiciest I’ve yet encountered from Drumshanbo. It pours out of the glass with notes of frozen Lemonade, dried lime peel, and grapefruit soda that are equally tart and sweet. At first, the sweetness is all citrus-driven, but as it opens, jammy – almost balsamic – notes emerge, delivering fig preserves, marmalade, and grape must. Undertones of pine sap reveal a hint of the Tuscan juniper, but it struggles against such a diversity of high tone fruits. With even more time to open, notes of melon and bay leaf add a greener dimension but don’t do much to curb the sweetness. It’s a saccharine but still fascinating bouquet, complex and impressively layered.

There’s not quite as much complexity, or sweetness for that matter, on the palate, which is probably for the best. But it’s just as well-built and structured with a soft, inviting texture. The front of the sip is juniper-forward with gently peppery traces of gunpowder tea, licorice, and citrus peel, the foundational Drumshanbo gin on display. A generous dried fig sweetness is woven throughout, complimented by dustier, resinous notes of fir branches and laurel, dried herbs and caraway. The finish is clean and bright with an easy fadeout of juniper berry, candied fig, black licorice, and grapefruit peel. It’s a lot to unpack but shows well on its own or in simple cocktails. I remain impressed by how much unique flavor Drumshanbo consistently weaves into these special gins. What will they think of next?

86 proof.

A- / $38

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