Sharmila and I cannot remember who introduced us to Nolet’s but I remember we immediately liked it. We were primarily Hendricks drinkers before that. Therefore, I was not surprised to find out later that some gin connoisseurs describe Nolets as Hendricks on steroids.

This evening I opened the tenth bottle of gin this year for my research and tasting and chose the bottle of Nolet. I usually start by trying it neat. When I did so, it immediately reminded me of ESME from France. It had a strong floral nose to it (Esme has rose). A little more research – and sure enough, one of the key ingredients for Nolet’s Silver is Turkish rose!

While most of the botanicals are kept secret, they do let you know that they use Turkish rose, peach and raspberry. As a result, the nose is very soft and the palette is pretty smooth. Interestingly, juniper – the main ingredient in all gins is very understated. Towards the end, in the finish, you will sense something pine-like and my guess is that is the juniper trying to make a brave attempt in making its presence felt.

The base alcohol is made from European wheat which is fermented and distilled multiple times to give a very strong – 193 proof!! neutral grain spirit. The final gin – at 94 proof – is stronger than most gins but it retains its smoothn and soft side due to the botanicals.

The distillery – Royal Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Netherlands has a very rich history. It was established in 1691 (making it the oldest distillery in the Netherlands) and used to make Genever. (You may remember Genever to be the original grandfather of modern gin). The distillery is still owned and run by the original family – now in its eleventh generation (Carl Jr. and Bob Nolet). If any of you have had Ketel One vodka – well, that is made in this same distillery. The process uses a Copper Pot / Column hybrid still. Interestingly, the distillery is powered entirely by windmills!!

Thoroughly enjoyed this gin. Will see next what a G&T (gin and tonic) would taste like.