Cygnet 22 Hand-Crafted Welsh Dry Gin Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Helen Wyatt
I don’t drink a lot but do enjoy trying different gins, and seeing the difference between cheaper brands and those that are more up market; the problem is that often the higher quality gins are out of my price range so I don’t get to enjoy them very often. So I was very pleased to be offered Cygnet 22 hand-crafted Welsh dry gin to try, as from a brief review online before it arrived, it appeared to be very much a high quality gin with a price tag of around £50 to match.
When the parcel arrived, I was excited to see what it looked like. Opening the box, I pulled out a slim, tall and elegant clear bottle. The bottle has simple white writing on it, with a little Welsh dragon, but the most intriguing thing is the internal design. There is a raised piece of glass inside the bottle, which appears to be blown up from the bottom. Underneath, it is hollow. It adds a very interesting aesthetic to the bottle, and I was curious to know more about why this design had been used. The distillery website states that Cygnet 22 gin won an award for best glass design in 2023 at the World Beverage Innovation Awards. It turns out that the bottle is much more than it appears, being handblown out of 50% lighter glass to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, and is designed with complete reuse in mind such as a vase, water carafe or candle holder. The bottle comes with a neat glass stopper to support reuse.
Next came the sniff and taste test. I know many gin connoisseurs will insist on tonic as a mixer however I have never liked the flavour, so I am a lemonade-girl, through and through. I poured a measure of the gin into my glass and noticed that it is extremely clear, looking just like water. I think this must be due to the high quality ingredients that are used to distil the gin, including pure Welsh water. I added ice and lemonade, and first took a sniff. The aroma of the gin is beautiful. It contains 22 botanicals (hence the name), including juniper, coriander, Cardamom, bee pollen, rose petals, and most interestingly it contains manuka honey.
This is when I found out that Katherine Jenkins OBE, is the founder of Cygnet distillery, and she included manuka honey in the Cygnet 22 to support health and wellbeing, and also bring rich, smooth character to the drink.
Once I tasted the gin, I was completely sold. It has a really complex but complementary flavour profile, and if you concentrate you can identify a number of the individual botanicals that went into the distillation. It is really smooth, unlike some cheaper gins, and very enjoyable to drink. I think that aside from the difference in quality of the ingredients used, this partly comes down to using more floral botanicals and less juniper than you might expect, which gives a different “nose” to the gin and shifts the flavour palate into something much more delicate and delicious.
I really enjoyed this gin, and will savour it until the last drop when I then reuse the bottle for something else! The ink on the bottle is apparently organic so you can wash it off, leaving you with a completely clear and beautifully designed bottle for sustainable reuse as something different.
This gin would make a unique and brilliant present for anyone who enjoys modern dry gins, but this would also be a perfect gift for Father’s Day. At a slightly higher price point it is definitely a luxury, but well worth spending either for yourself or for that special someone.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £54.90
This product can be purchased from Cygnet Distillery here: https://cygnet-distillery.com/products/cygnet-22-gin