Reval is produced by the Estonian Remedia Distillery and was the first London Dry style gin in Estonia. It was released in 2013 and managed to achieve even some international success in various competitions before the boom in handicraft gins really started to rumble. Reval Premium Edition is a classic gin with juniper berries, coriander, lemon peel, wild angelica and a few other herbs. As part of the London Dry process, Reval has only been distilled once and nothing but spring water has been added to it. After the acquisition of Remedia by Latvian Amber Distribution, the availability of Reval London Dry Gin has been lower, but it can still be found in a few stores, a 70 cl bottle costs around € 18.
The nose is very light and classic; juniper berries, coriander and lemon peel. When sipped neat, the taste is dry and quite pungent. The high level of alcohol is clearly felt, also the aroma of ethanol. The taste is clean and clear. Citrus, slightly juniper berry and slightly spices. When diluted with water, the aroma of coriander and some hay-like plant can also be revealed. The taste is light, very classic and reminds of Tanqueray and other multinational gins, which have certainly been a role model for Reval as well.
Continued with tonic water, the aromas of gin are somewhat below the characteristic tonic taste. In fact, when sipping a tonic neat and a cocktail side by side, there is just a little difference. A very light hint of ethanol comes to the fore, among tender spicy nuances. G&T made from Reval is soft, very light and clearly needs some addition to the glass, like grapefruit slices or berries. It probably works better for Tom Collins or Martini-style classic cocktails, where the very delicate herbs stand out better. Reval London Dry Premium Edition is a classic and traditional gin, somehow a nice exception of the current world where often heavily spiced and strong handcraft gins rules. It is a recommended choice if you prefer the classic style and don’t care so much about strong spicy and herbal tastes.
79/100
