Vim and Petal Dry Gin

Vim and Petal Dry Gin is made in Columbus, Ohio, by Middle West Spirits, who also make OYO Vodka, and this gin has 18 botanicals.

I recently tried the OYO Vodka from Middle West Spirits, who are out of Columbus, Ohio, and it was an incredibly smooth and rounded vodka that was a delight to sip. So much so that I sipped it and made cocktails with it all the time… until it was gone.

Vim and Petal Dry Gin

I imagine this Vim and Petal Gin is made from the same vodka, as it does say it’s made from Ohio red winter wheat, which is also the grain used for the vodka. If that’s the case, it should be something special.

Vim and Petal Botanicals

The gin uses a remarkable 18 botanicals. Some gins will use just 5-6 botanicals, others maybe 10-12 or so at the most, so18 is a really high number. It isn’t a case of the more botanicals you have, the better the gin is. It means you have to be very careful and precise in balancing all those different flavors to get the result you want.

Those 18 botanicals are: juniper (of course), elderberry, wheat berry, coriander, toasted black tea, Sichuan peppercorn, lemon peel, grains of paradise, epazote, mace blades, angelica, orris, hibiscus, jasmine, rosehips, black cardamom, green cardamom, and Indonesian cinnamon.

I must admit I had to look a few of those up. Epazote is an aromatic herb, while mace blade is the covering on a nutmeg, which is said to be softer and more delicate than the nutmeg itself. Grains of pepper is an aromatic spice similar to peppercorns but with a much more complex flavor profile. Someone has had some fun, and done a lot of work, to get these to work together.

Tasting Vim and Petal Dry Gin

The bottle is round, short and chunky, pretty heavy and solid. On the nose there’s all kinds of aromas going on, as you’d expect from that many botanicals. Juniper is obviously evident, otherwise it wouldn’t be gin, but it’s a little more in the background, which is the way I like it. There’s a honey sweetness to it, a peppery spiciness, a citrus freshness from the lemon, and all those aromatic notes from the hibiscus, jasmine, and rosehips. Just imagine walking by both jasmine and hibiscus plants releasing all their scent on a warm summer evening, and that’s what you get here.

Tasting it, it’s more of the same, perhaps a little spicier than on the nose, with a slight hint of ginger, even though there’s no ginger in there. It’s refreshing, and it has floral and citrus flavors too. It’s totally delicious, sipped neat, though gin is one of the few spirits I can’t sip neat too often. We tried it in a simple gin and tonic, with Fever-Tree tonic, and it was a real hit. Sometimes it’s better not to face all those flavors head on, but to dilute it and get more of a sense of what’s happening. And this one is certainly happening. But like their OYO Vodka, I don’t think it will last very long.

More Information on Vim and Petal Dry Gin

Vim and Petal Dry Gin is 42% ABV (84 proof) and you can find out more about it on the Middle West Spirits website. You can also buy it online and I was amazed to find it only costs $29.99. As with their vodka, this is a bargain price for a spirit of such quality. You can buy it even cheaper on Drizly, at the time of writing. As to where the name Vim and Petal comes from, I’ve no idea.