When was the last time you tried an Indian gin? Probably not in a long time or ever, in fact, most of us didn’t even know India produced quality gin. Well, that’s not the case any longer as Third Eye Distillery’s very own Stranger and Sons Gin is now a global darling.
Distilled in Goa, India, this gin is quintessentially Indian with botanicals including native spices such as black pepper, nutmeg, mace, coriander, liquorice and cassia bark as well as a mix of Indian citrus peels led by Gondhoraj limes (think of a lime and a mandarin orange mixed together) from Calcutta.
READ MORE: Check out our honest review of Malfy Gin Con Limone
Founded in 2018, it initially launched in India and quickly expanded into Thailand and the United Kingdom. Despite being a relatively new brand, they are an award-winning brand having won the ‘Gold-Outstanding’ at the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2020.
We managed to get our hands on it and couldn’t wait to give it a try.
About the Stranger and Sons gin
Developed by the new distillery, the Third Eye Distillery range hit a homerun with their first major release – Stranger and Sons.
Founded by Sakshi Saigal, Rahul Mehra and Vidur Gupta, they tapped into Goa’s status as a liberal city, focusing on sustainability and unique branding to stand out. The Stranger and Sons gin does not contain any plastic in its packaging, nor does it waste any ingredients with even their crushed botanicals sent away to be turned into other products.
They are also focusing on renewable energy with solar panels and reducing their water usage to a tiny fraction compared to other distilleries. This makes Stranger & Sons Gin one of the most sustainable gins in the market at the moment.
The review
To me, the first thing that struck me about the Stranger & Sons gin is that it has a strong spice tone and it is apparent from a light sniff when you open it. I find it to be a multi-dimensional gin, which means that it has various layers to it – from the citrus to the spice to the depth of the flavour.
The Indian pepper and spices comes out nicely – not too intrusive and gives the gin a very potent aroma, but is deceptively mild to taste.
READ MORE: Travel Wanderlust reviews Nil Desperandum rum from Australia
My first impression of the Stranger and Sons gin
Immediately on first taste, I felt this was a pretty standard spiced gin that follows the usual direction of Paper Lantern gin or other spiced gins. But, as I mentioned above, I consider this gin to have multiple layers.
From the spiciness, you start to notice other flavours takeover like the citrus, which is mild, but at the same time very obvious. This was followed by the other botanicals, for me the other most potent flavour came from nutmeg. It was balanced well and I felt like a good long drag of a simple 1:1 G&T wouldn’t be amiss with this gin.
How the drink progressed
I primarily drank this as a simple gin & tonic with some lime as a garnish. I did the initial taste without any lime and a neutral tonic, but gradually turned to a lime garnish after I experienced it enough.
The flavours of the gin started to blend into each other as expected, but the refreshing spiciness remained and held itself well throughout the night. In fact, I ended up drinking quite a few glasses and thoroughly enjoyed them all.
If I were to pair this with food, I would probably go with something that is spicy in itself – maybe a strong ginger or garlic flavoured dish that would pair well with the gin. I can also see this gin do well in cocktails that are spice-influenced, so that might be an interesting way to go about it.
Should you buy the Strangers and Sons gin?
Absolutely, it is a good choice if you’re looking for something different and interested to try gins that involve different taste profiles into their distilling. I am quite excited to see what else they have coming up, because the methodology and their thought process behind the gin should mean that they have many more amazing drinks up their sleeves.
If you’ve had the Stranger and Sons gin before, we would love to hear from you. Please drop us a message in the comments and let us know your thoughts.
