Gin-Dry Juniper Absolute 50%

Eleonora Scalseggi has this to say “Although we already offer a juniper absolute, when we sampled this material from a new supplier, we felt it was worth adding a second listing as this juniper absolute shines of its own light and deserved its own spot in our collection.

A very thick, sticky dark olive-green paste at room temperature, we offer this absolute diluted at 50% in ethanol for ease of use. Its aroma is much closer to our experience of wild juniper berries found in the woods of Tuscany and to that of a dry gin compared to our regular absolute, which is juicier-fruitier, and of a brighter green colour.

It might even seem difficult to describe this gin-dry juniper absolute properly because on the one hand it is an incredibly rich, deep, complex, and multi-layered material, with lots of conifer-warmth strongly reminding us of the Mediterranean scrub in the summer heat, with resinous-jammy overtones. On the other hand, however, there is an almost stern juniper-wood dryness about it, not in a smoky-cade direction, just dry-woody and pleasantly astringent, reminiscent of a good dry gin. These two aspects are so seamlessly integrated, that rather than coming across as the hallmarks of an internally conflicting personality, they rather seem nuances and complexities of an all-round character, with its own sense of identity and inner coherence.

Indeed, it is an absolute of great character. The producer, a small artisan, told us that the juniper berries crop was actually unusual, and they had never seen berries that beautiful and ripe, so this could actually be a one-off production that will never achieve this grade ever again, so until we have sampled the next batches we will not know if this will become a staple offering or if it will be just a limited edition.

If you like us are fascinated by how conifer materials can display their absolute best when turned into absolutes (pun not intended) then this material definitely deserves experiencing until stocks last.

Photograph taken here in Tuscany in the woods of La Verna.”

Botanical name: Juniperus communis

Origin: Italy

Alcohol soluble: Yes

Oil soluble: No