Malfy Con Limone
When you need a small lunch-break somewhere among the Amalfi coast
Delightful lemony liquor (for your “non-gin” friends) - MALFY G.Q.D.I. (Gin di Qualita Distillato in Italia) is distilled by the Vergnano family in Moncalieri, Italy, using a traditional stainless steel vacuum still.
Malfy Gin’s is made from 6 botanicals including Juniper (Ginepro in Italian) and lemon sourced from the Italian Coastline,
Gin or...Ginocello?
Naturally distilled in a modern fashion, but similarly builds on the bounty of the Italian land: the base is Italian wheat, the juniper is from Tuscany, and the lemons are a blend of Sicilian and boutique Amalfi Coast lemons.
These lemons are highly protected and there’s actually a lemon tourism industry around them. Limited in production to only 25 tons of lemons/hectare, they’re renowned for their potent aromatic quality, boasting more oil glands than other varieties. Though most of the lemons go to limoncello, Malfy Gin is lucky enough to include them in their botanical bill along with grapefruit and orange.
Tasting Notes
On the nose, it is bright and zesty with lemon as you’d expect. This freshness follows through on the palate, with the citrus notes mingling with some delicate juniper and spice notes from the coriander leading through to a surprisingly warm, lingering dry finish.
Even if the main focus is on the lemons, the gin has slight notes of pink grapefruit and orange peel. Fans of a more classic gin, fear not, there is a beautiful balance of juniper and other botanicals in the background, making this gin suitable for more traditional gin drinkers as well as those lovers of all things Italian.
The palate is absolutely bursting with incredible lemon flavor. Whatever they’re doing with the lemon zest, it’s evident that they’ve preserved a great deal of the character.
On the early palate, you get some coriander and juniper, hints of licorice, with faint hints of fennel, ushering in a citrus dominated finish that has some piney low notes, and traditional gin spice.
The palate can be easily summarized as such: It’s lemon.
As well as some nice traditional touches around the edges that give it a roundness, and distinctively gin-like complexity. It’s not just a limoncello without the sugar. It’s a very, very, citrus forward gin.
Charachteristics
Style: Dry Gin con Limone
Region: Turin
Country: Italy
ABV: 41%
Distillery: Torino Distillati
Age: NAS
Lemon in all sorts of forms. A box of lemon head candy, Pine Sol, yellow licorice, and fresh lemon zest. The palate is short lived and dominated by the artificial lemon candy taste. Though there is a more natural sweetness at the end. A gin fizz seems a natural choice here but a particularly bitter tonic would pair well too.
Sam Davies
