Accidental Hedonist

We are now, officially, in the second round of competition.  The stakes are higher, the quality of competition increases, and the ability to enjoy gin fully becomes a happy side effect of all of this nonsense.

First up in Round 2 – The cult favorite Hendrick’s, who was voted into the second round by beating Old Raj, goes up against Seattle favorite Ebb & Flow, who was voted superior to Aviation gin.

Vote for your favorite to go into the final four. The Poll will close on May 27th.

[poll id="12"]

Meanwhile, as my bracket looks a little different from the Reader’s,  I’ll do my own taste testing between Old Raj and Aviation.

Methinks that there has been a bit of ballot stuffing.

That’s okay, really. Some people, and some companies are really proud of their products. And rightfully so. Ebb + Flow Gin  is good. Quite good, as a matter of fact, a gin that I would gladly recommend to anyone. It has a strong nose, full of citrus, vanilla, and, of course, juniper. There’s nary a chemical taste to the drink, outside of the alcohol, which, at 47% ABV, can be a bit strong for some. I am satisfied that it won the reader’s round. Plainly put, Ebb & Flow Gin is a damn fine gin (Yo’! You folks at Sound Spirits – feel free to use that in your promotional literature).

However…I do get my own say in this matter.

There is always a problem in placing two well made gins aside one another, and invariably a preference will follow. My own preference? Aviation Gin.

But I need to qualify this. Aviation Gin, in my opinion, isn’t the better gin, per se.  Yes, yes, it has a lively nose, with the orange peel being apparent, but not obnoxious, and the lavender balancing it nicely. And yes, the flavors play nicely with each other, with no one ingredient dominating the other .  But Ebb + Flow had similar qualities.

So what’s the difference between the two?

Certainly there’s the alcohol difference, with Ebb & Flow having a bit more punch, as Aviation carries 42% ABV to Ebb & Flow’s 47%.

But there’s one other thing. Aviation has a subtlety about it.

Ebb & Flow comes at you with it’s flavor, like a Red Hot Chili Peppers’ concert. It’s loud, bold, playful, and fun.

Aviation doesn’t come at you. It invites you in. It pulls out an Dave Brubeck album, and asks you to listen. If Ebb & Flow Gin is the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a liquor format, Aviation Gin is Thelonious Monk.

And if the goal here is to find the right gin for a Martini, then I’m always going to side with the gin that reminds me of jazz, because a Martini  is not anything if not jazz.

This shouldn’t be seen as an indictment of Ebb & Flow. Not at all.  When these two gins come face to face, one isn’t of higher quality than another. When these two gins are compared side by side, it all comes down to preference.

Two Pacific Northwest gins go head-to-head in order to help us fill out our brackets.

On one side with have the highly respected Aviation Gin,  the New Western Dry Gin made in Portland, OR.

On the other side, we have the Seattle newcomer to gin production – Ebb + Flow Gin by Sound Spirits.

Your task? Tell me which one is your favorite, using the poll below.

[poll id="6"]

The poll will be open for a week, and afterwards I will announce the winner as well as my preference.

Also, there’s still time to vote whether you prefer Plymouth or Bombay Sapphire.