Sample 3 cl Paris De Miscault Dry Gin 44

The name points to Paris, yet the mint and lemon balm grow a few steps from the still house. This family has been distilling fruit since 1859 and treats its gin with the same patience as an old mirabelle brandy. Three centilitres is all it takes to work out whether the French approach appeals.

The expert's description

Sample 3 cl Paris De Miscault Dry Gin 44% is a French Dry Gin distilled with juniper, fresh peppermint, lemon balm, allspice and ginger and bottled at 44%.

Behind the bottle stands René de Miscault, a family house that has distilled since 1859 and passed the trade from father to son. Most of the range is fruit brandy, some forty of them, and the house also makes absinth. Gin is the youngest branch on the tree, built on the same principle: the plants must be recognisable in the glass.

The peppermint and the lemon balm are grown at the distillery itself, and they explain the whole fresh character of this gin. Where an English gin usually pushes citrus peel forward, Paris works with green herbs at the top. Underneath sit allspice and ginger, laying in a dry, warm spice note while juniper holds the direction. The 44% gives the bottling body without turning it sharp.

The producer recommends the gin well chilled and neat, which says a good deal about how it is put together. Cold tightens the herbs and makes the ginger easier to read. This 3 cl bottling is a shortcut into a French herbal gin without clearing shelf space for it.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh peppermint first, close to crushed leaves between the fingers, then lemon balm and a calm juniper. The spice sits underneath and shows as a trace of ginger.

Palate

A soft opening of mint and citrus peel, quickly taken over by allspice and a warm ginger tone. Juniper is present throughout but carries rather than dominates. The middle stays dry, with no sweetness at all.

Finish

Cool and long. Mint settles on the palate while the ginger leaves a gently burning tail and a peppery note that lets go slowly.

Specifications

Name: Sample 3 cl Paris De Miscault Dry Gin 44%
Distillery: René de Miscault
Region/Country: France
Type: French Dry Gin
ABV: 44%
Size: 3 CL
Botanicals: Juniper, peppermint, lemon balm, allspice and ginger
Serving suggestion: Well chilled and neat in a small glass, or with a neutral Tonic Water

Flavour profile

Fresh · Herbal · Mint · Spiced · Dry

Did you know?

René de Miscault runs its own spirits museum in Lapoutroie in Alsace. It opened in 1986 inside a converted coaching inn and holds old copper stills along with a collection of ten thousand miniature bottles.

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Frequently asked questions about Sample 3 cl Paris De Miscault Dry Gin 44%

What sets Paris De Miscault apart from an English gin?

Herbs take up more room than citrus peel. Peppermint and lemon balm sit at the top of the profile, where a classic English gin normally leads with dry citrus and coriander. Juniper is still there, but it shares the space with something green and garden-grown.

How is it best drunk?

Well chilled and neat, if you follow the producer's own suggestion. Put the glass in the freezer for a quarter of an hour first and the cold lifts the mint while sharpening the ginger. Mixed, it works best in drinks that let the herbs speak.

Which tonic and garnish suit it?

A light, neutral tonic without much sweetness. A Mediterranean tonic with rosemary and thyme pulls in the same direction as the herbs and also works, while an aromatic tonic with cinnamon and cloves collides with the allspice. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a thin slice of ginger.

What does lemon balm do to the flavour?

It brings citrus without acidity. Lemon balm smells of lemon peel but tastes soft and herbal, which is why the gin reads as fresh without ever turning sharp. Together with the mint it accounts for the cool half of the profile.

Which cocktails suit it?

The ones that already involve fresh herbs. A Southside with lime, sugar syrup and mint plays straight into the gin's own mint, and a Gimlet turns greener than usual. In a Negroni, by contrast, the herbs get rolled over by the Vermouth and the bitter.

Who makes this gin?

The family house René de Miscault, distilling since 1859. Its core business is fruit brandy in considerable variety, and that long practice in catching a plant's aroma precisely is exactly what the gin rests on.

How should an opened sample bottle be kept?

Dark, cool and firmly closed. Gin changes slowly, but herbal styles like this one lose their freshness first, so an opened sample is best finished within a couple of weeks. Explore the full range of Whisky Samples.