Review of Reverend Nat’s Deliverance Gin & Tonic, a selection of their Tent Show cider club.  I’ve previously tried a handful of their ciders (see here), with Revival being my favorite.

Cider:  Deliverance Gin & Tonic
Cidery:  Reverend Nat’s
Cidery Location:  Portland OR
ABV:  10.0%
How Supplied:  750ml bottle
Style:  American craft Imperial single varietal Newtown Pippin cider with spices, gin barrel aged

 

 

(standard Tent Show bottle, where only the label changes)

Availability:  Only at Reverend Nat’s Portland Oregon cidery, only for Tent Show cider club members unless there are leftover bottles, 46 cases produced

Cider Description:  Imperial (high ABV) Newtown Pippin cider with ginger, quinine, lime juice & zest, lemongrass, juniper berries, and cucumber, aged in Ransom Old Tom gin barrels

Cidery Description:  Reverend Nat is a single-minded cider evangelist who searches the world for superior ingredients to handcraft the most unusual ciders that no one else will make.

Nat West (who is actually an online ordained minister) has been making cider since 2004, started Reverend Nat’s in 2011, and opened a tap room with 12 taps in Portland in 2013 (which also includes bottles and selections from other cideries).

Price:  n/a (a friend brought this to a cider tasting dinner)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

First Impression:  Hazy medium amber.  Nearly still.  Smells rich and boozy, of spices and botanicals.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry.  Medium bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Moderate bitterness.  Low funk.  Low tannins.  No sourness.  Notes of caramel, ginger, and spices & botanicals I’m unfamiliar with.  No apple flavor.  Low sessionability.  High flavor intensity.  High complexity.

My Opinion:  This was a really interesting cider.  I didn’t really enjoy it at first, but it grew on me, especially once I added a couple ice cubes, which reduced the harshness.  This cider is more like a cocktail, and reminds me a bit of Pommeau.  I think without the ginger I would have liked it better (I’m not a ginger fan).

Most Similar to:  Not anything I’ve tried.  I’ve had Portland Cider Company London Dry Gin, which was gin barrel aged (dry, high tannins, and botanical).  I’ve also had Liberty Cider Works Abbess, which used gin botanicals (semi-dry, bold flavor with a hint of botanicals).  Both had the botanicals, but not the body, haziness, and richness of this cider.

Closing Notes:   I’m glad I got a chance to try this cider, as I’m not a Tent Show member, and Seattle is a bit far from Portland to just pop in and check if they have anything interesting.

Have you tried Reverend Nat’s Deliverance Gin & Tonic?  What did you think?