Malfy Miniature Giftbox Italy Gin 4x5 cl 41%

Four small bottles, four colours and a trip down the Italian coast without leaving the kitchen table. Yellow from the lemons of Amalfi, red from Sicilian blood oranges, pink from pink grapefruit and clear from the original. Malfy has built its entire identity on Italian citrus, and here the four stand side by side.

The expert's description

Malfy Miniature Gift Set Italian Gin 4x5 cl 41% is a gift set holding four Italian gins distilled from Italian wheat spirit and bottled at 41% in 5 cl bottles.

The set contains Malfy Originale, Malfy Con Limone, Malfy Con Arancia and Malfy Gin Rosa. All four come from Torino Distillati in Moncalieri, Piedmont, where the Vergnano family has been distilling gin since the 1970s, and all four are bottled at the same strength, so it is the raw materials rather than the alcohol that separates them.

Originale is the house starting point: Italian juniper and five botanicals over a base of Italian wheat. Con Limone builds on that with lemon peel from the Amalfi Coast and from Sicily, steeped in the spirit before distillation. Con Arancia brings in Sicilian blood oranges alongside juniper, coriander, cinnamon and angelica. Rosa works with Sicilian pink grapefruit, lemon peel, angelica, orris root and coriander, and after distillation a rhubarb distillate is added, which supplies both the pink tone and a bitter edge.

Four times 5 cl covers four drinks, or one tasting where all four sit next to each other. It is the fastest way to work out which of them deserves a full bottle.

Tasting notes

Nose

Citrus in four directions. Originale smells dry and juniper-led, Con Limone of freshly grated lemon peel, Con Arancia of sweet blood orange with its spice behind it, while Rosa puts grapefruit and an earthy rhubarb note forward.

Palate

Juniper sits beneath all of them and ties the set together. Originale is the driest and most classical, Con Limone tastes of peel rather than juice, Con Arancia is the softest and roundest of the four, and Rosa turns dry across the middle with white pepper and a light bitterness.

Finish

Short to medium on all four. Citrus peel dries the mouth, juniper hangs on, and with Rosa it closes on a trace of rhubarb and rose petal.

Specifications

Name: Malfy Miniature Gift Set Italian Gin 4x5 cl 41%
Distillery: Torino Distillati, Moncalieri
Producer: Malfy
Region/Country: Piedmont, Italy
Type: Italian Gin
ABV: 41%
Size: 4 x 5 CL
Edition: Originale, Con Limone, Con Arancia and Rosa
Serving suggestion: With Tonic Water, plenty of ice and a slice of the citrus matching the bottle

Flavour profile

Citrus · Fresh · Juniper-forward · Fruity · Lightly bitter

Did you know?

The water in Malfy comes from Monviso, the mountain in the Italian Alps where the river Po rises. So it is not only the citrus fruit that is Italian, but also the water the spirit is cut with before bottling.

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Frequently asked questions about Malfy Miniature Gift Set Italian Gin 4x5 cl 41%

What is in the gift set?

Four miniature bottles of 5 cl each, one of every expression: Malfy Originale, Malfy Con Limone, Malfy Con Arancia and Malfy Gin Rosa. All four are bottled at the same strength, so the difference lies purely in the botanicals.

Which of the four should be tasted first?

Start with Originale. It is the driest and most classical of them and works as a reference point for the other three. Take Con Limone next, then Con Arancia, and finish with Rosa, the most bitter of the set and therefore the hardest to taste anything after.

What is the difference between Con Limone and Con Arancia?

The fruit and the temperament. Con Limone is made with lemon peel from the Amalfi Coast and Sicily and tastes sharp and dry, of peel rather than juice. Con Arancia uses Sicilian blood oranges and is the softest and roundest in the set, with a sweeter fruit tone and a lightly spiced floor.

Why is Malfy Gin Rosa pink?

The colour comes from a rhubarb distillate added after distillation. The rhubarb supplies both the pink tone and a light bitterness, which plays against the Sicilian pink grapefruit in the recipe.

Which tonic and garnish suits each one?

Use a neutral, dry tonic for all four and let the garnish follow the bottle. Lemon peel for Con Limone, a slice of orange for Con Arancia, a quarter slice of grapefruit for Rosa and a single strip of lemon zest for Originale. That is how the differences show most clearly. The same approach works for any other Gin on the shelf: let the garnish mirror the loudest flavour in the bottle.

Who is the set for?

For anyone who wants to taste their way forward, and for anyone giving a gift without knowing which style the recipient prefers. Four miniature bottles make four separate evenings, or one tasting with all four lined up together.

Where does Malfy come from?

From Torino Distillati in Moncalieri, Piedmont, in north-western Italy. The Vergnano family has distilled gin there since the 1970s, and the citrus fruit is drawn from the Amalfi Coast and Sicily further south.