Broker’s Gin is distilled near Birmingham, England in traditional pot stills, and though Broker’s Gin was created in 1998, its recipe dates back 200 years. Broker’s is a London dry gin, with the base spirit distilled from English wheat, and it’s crafted with a bevy of herbs, spices and fruits imported from around the world.
On the nose, there’s no mistaking Broker’s for anything but a London Dry style gin. It’s an uncompromising, unapologetic classic gin, with very apparent juniper notes and some citrus. It adds a bit of cinnamon and coriander to the mix, plus some floral notes, which ups its complexity and results in a pretty pleasant smelling spirit.
Tasted neat, the juniper flavor jumps on your palate, with more citrus and some peppery spice. The mouth feel is a bit heavy and oily, coating the tongue as the flavors work their way around the mouth. Throughout it all, Broker’s remains very smooth and drinkable. It finishes very warm and lingers on the tongue with a bit of spice.
Adding a bit of ice tempered the oily texture a bit, and adding a lemon peel brought out more of the gin’s citrus notes. While the ice-and-lemon-peel variety works well enough, it kills some of the juniper and spice you get when tasting Broker’s neat.
Mixed into a martini, Broker’s Gin holds its own. While some new western style gins are quite popular these days, for me, nothing makes a martini quite like a London Dry style gin. To compensate for Broker’s relatively high proof (94), I stirred with ice a bit longer than usual to get the proper dilution.
Overall, Broker’s Gin is a quality spirit. It’s a gin that shines through in martinis and other classic cocktails and stands up well when mixed with tonic, which, despite its popularity as a gin mixer, often overpowers the spirit entirely. Plus at only about $20, it’s a hell of a bargain.
Stats:
– 47% ABV
– $20
– Bottle adorned with a nice hat
CE Rating: ★★★★
Broker’s is bottled and distributed by Hood River Distillers, the company that’s also behind Pendleton Canadian Whisky.
This is an excellent gin to drink. I recommend that once you try this gin you will not want to buy anything else!!
Broker’s is my favorite. Aroma and taste are clean, yet appealing. Does not overpower, but instead refreshes the palate with a sense of purity. Goes down smoothly with little penalty the next morning. Despite the emergence of craft gins in Europe and North America, London Dry Gin remains the standard because of its perfected qualities. Among the London Dry Gins, Broker’s is unsurpassed.
I picked up a liter recently in Wisconsin on my way home to Indiana from a fishing trip. I am really sold on it. I usually drink Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray but this is the best in my opinion since Tanqueray Mallaca which they quit making seven years ago. It is definitely different than the Mallaca and is definitely a London Dry Gin.
Truly an excellent gin that is superb as a gin and tonic. I prefer Broker’s Gin with Fever Tree tonic. I contacted the director of Broker’s Gin Andy Dawson and he said that Broker’s is distilled AND bottled in the heart of England, so this article is incorrect in saying that it is bottled by Hood River distillers. But it’s great that Hood River imports Broker’s! I’m in Oregon by the way so if nobody believes me I can visit Hood River Distillers and make absolutely sure.
I like the hat on the bottle.