Having grown up in the south of England, plus having worked in the motor trade for many years, Goodwood is a name that brings back memories of fun weekends such as Festival of Speed and Revival Weekend.

As one of these events kicks off this week, it was rather fitting that I was asked if I would be interested in trying and reviewing a new gin from this historical estate.

Levin Down is an ancient hill on the South Downs, an area that I spent many hours hiking over as a child. The region is rich in flora and fauna including wild juniper and gorse, so its would only be a matter of time before a gin was produced using these botanicals.

On the nose, Goodwood Gin is subtle but well balanced. The Juniper is present but not in your face, with gorse bringing in a toasty, vanilla essence.

On the palette the same botanicals continue to come through, however, its the earthiness of this gin that strikes me most. The finish is fresh and its here that mint becomes apparent. Mint is something that I’ve not recalled in gins previously. While it’s an ingredient that I love, when I saw it listed, I was somewhat apprehensive. I was slightly concerned that it could have been overpowering, however this is not the case, with its restrained use bringing a slight element of freshness to the palette.

The freshness of the mint is joined with a rather pleasant bitterness and a little bit of spice.

Tasted neat this is refined gin, with a great complexity bought about by all the botanicals merging beautifully.

Mixed with a light tonic, the gin is easy drinking. It doesn’t create a wow factor, but equally it does absolutely nothing wrong, which is a huge achievement in itself. A gin so minimalistic leaves no room for errors and I’m sure great thought and experimentation has gone into its development.

With its truly classical flavours , the gin would make a great martini, however i wanted to see if it would stand up to something more robust. I therefore decided to try the gin with a bitter lemon, and for me this was a winning combination. The lemon and fresh mint finish combined perfectly to create a refreshing and enjoyable drink.

I am a firm believer that its the quality of the botanicals that create a gin, with locally sourced ingredients always seeming to bring something special, with this being no different.

If you’re a fan of a classical gin rather than something more contemporary, then this is one that would appeal to you for sure.

Name: Levin Down Goodwood gin

Price: £40 (70cl)

Proof: 43.6% ABV

Buy From: Goodwood Website

Disclaimer – Goodwood Gin was sent to me as a PR Sample to try and review. The contents of the review and all thoughts are those of Manchester Food Tourist