Plymouth Gin- 83 score by Beverage Tasting Institute

[hobbess]

As a newbie to spirits, I picked up a Buying Guide to Spirits by the Beverage Testing Institute to help provide me with some guidance.

One of the scores that really surprised me was that they rated Plymouth pretty low with a score of 83 which falls within their range of 80-84 as recommended and anything below 80 would not get recommended. And, they had a whole score of other gins that were all rated higher than Plymouth.

As a newbie, I always thought Plymouth Gin was supposed to be Top Shelf, one of the top Gins out there with Junipero, etc..

Do you think the low score is a true reflection of Plymouth quality, and that Plymouth is more about hype than quality?

Or, do you think Beverage Tasting Institute doesn't know what they're talking about and that they're basically the Consumer Reports of Drinks.

[ncyankee101]

I find many of BTI's ratings very suspect, at least in the liquors I have some personal experience in (primarily Scotch), and I have heard the same from others with different areas of experience.

[ginreviews]

It's just open to interpretation, was Van Gogh the best artist? not sure, but he makes some interesting GIN :)

[zin1953]

WTF? Vincent never made gin. And the fin that's labeled "Van Gogh" has nothing to do with Vincent.

[JMF]

The gin under the van gogh name is the only product I like by that company.

[ginreviews]

From our thoughts, the Vangogh Gin was the closest thing to vodka we had ever has, and ironically their first product was Van gogh Gin.

[ginreviews]

Plymouth still continues to be my favorite gin of all time. From my experience, we are hard pressed to find a better experience the Plymouth. It's a monumental achieve that focuses on perfect balance and uniqueness. Nothing else like it ever.

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www.ginreviews.com | Gin reviews Gin Ratings Gin Facts

[zin1953]

Which do YOU prefer -- Ford or Chevy, Hershey's or Nestlés, Tabasco or Crystal, San Pelligrino or Perrier, filet mignon or ribeye, Beefeater or Plymouth?

It's ALL personal taste, personal preference, personal opinion . . .

[don515]

The NY Times did an article about 2 years ago testing 50 gins in Martini's and Plymouth was best of show. Been 10 dollar more since... does make a damm nice Martini..

DC

[sakeandgin]

The $10+ goes to new distributors absolut......drank it for 14.99-16.99 not to many years ago

[ginreviews]

Pernod-Ricard has acquired Plymouth. We are hoping to god that they release the NAVY STRENGTH 57% so we can review this gin. This is the holy grail of gins

[StriperGuy]

Totally agree. Which gin you like is TOTALLY subjective.

[nickls]

Yeah, since spirits are very brand and marketing driven it can be tricky to sort things out. Even that big spirits taste-off where a bunch of well-respected drinks writers assigned scores to different brands in different drinks was a bunch of bunk as far as I could tell.

For me, I found some of JMF's gin notes quite handy, you can find a bunch of them on slashfood. I had no idea that I would find that Martin Miller's tastes more like cucumber to me than Hendrick's by a long shot. Or that Bluecoat would smell like oranges and taste very citrusy.

I have been wanting to do a side-by-side tasting of gins recently. I have been buying a different brand each time I use up a bottle. For my money and tastebuds, Seagram's can stand in pretty handily for Plymouth if you are on a budget (although I have not tasted them side by side).

[EvergreenDan]

When most people say "gin," they usually mean London dry gin. Plymouth brand gin is not a London dry, but rather a member of the category "Plymouth gin," made in Plymouth, England (of which Plymouth brand is the only producer). It is sweeter than London dry and less juniper-forward. I think a lot of people's opinion of Plymouth is simply how much they like it compared to London dry gins. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Gin

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www.kindredcocktail.com | Craft + Collect + Concoct + Categorize + Community

[JMF]

Dan, I think you nailed it right on the head.

[invinotheresverde]

Rating G'Vine a 96 negates any credibility they could've possibly had with me (especially with Hendrick's not far behind).

That said, Plymouth, until fairly recently, has always been a lower-priced gin. The price has been creeping upwards for a few years now. I'd call it middle of the road monetarily.

[davis_sq_pro]

I'm a fan of Hendrick's. And this brings up a good point: ratings and reviews are only worth as much as your level of trust in the reviewer. Your palate may not agree with those of the BTI reviewers, or with Paul Pacult's, or with Robert Parker's, and in my opinion that's fine. It's important, if you want to read reviews, to find a reviewer who you do agree with on at least a few things -- and then you'll be likely to agree with them on more than a few things...

BTW, I don't understand how the price point of Plymouth is important in this discussion. BTI in particular seems to ignore price when doing its reviews, although there is a "best buy" logo that some lower-priced spirits are flagged with. Or were you referring to the OP's question about whether Plymouth is "top shelf" or not?

[zin1953]

Price does not matter -- or at least, shouldn't -- in blind tastings.

That said, while you are a fan of Hendrick's, personally I can't stand the stuff! Again: it's all a matter of personal taste.

[invinotheresverde]

I mentioned price because the OP said he thought Plymouth was considered Top Shelf.