Nikka Coffey Gin – The New ‘Coffee’ in Town

The pandemic, as we all know, put an end to beer garden bars and meeting your mates at the pub. Anything we try now we have to buy by the bottle. And, well, let’s just say lockdown hasn’t been kind to the ‘coffers’. So enter the heroes of the hour, my parents, who surprised me with this beautiful bottle of gin delivered straight to my door.

I admit they purchased it off Amazon; but to be honest their prices are hard to beat for many artisan spirits – particularly if you’ve a Prime account and can get free delivery!

So what makes this gin so unique? Nikka distils their Coffey Gin in a ‘Coffey Still’ – that doesn’t mean with coffee by the way! The Coffey still was designed in 1830 by Aeneas Coffey. In effect its a column still that is capable of continuous distillation. Coffey stills are known for producing higher ABV spirits and I like my alcohol strong! This beauty of a gin is 47% ABV.

To start with, this gin is packed full of citrus notes, backed by light floral tones and oodles of juniper. It is an extremely light drink, even considering the ABV. It’s smooth and extremely quaffable when paired with a simple slimline tonic.

Flavour-wise I would say its more citrus heavy, with lighter notes of juniper. There’s no bitterness, or sharpness to it. To be honest, I actually enjoy drinking this straight more than I enjoy drinking it with tonic but, either way, it’s just so refreshing.

It reminds me of summer, sweet, simple and no rubbish. As a gin its honest, nothing fancy or crazy flavours just good simple gin. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who’s a gin lover or just trying something new! I warn you though, at £43.95 it’s one of the more expensive gins that I’ve drunk – but it’s quite addictive!