Riesling rarity

The world’s first gin infused with Grand Cru Riesling, Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin is based in Germany’s Saar-mosel where the grapes come from exceptional Zilliken winery. The collection includes the Saar Dry Gin ($99) with fine fruitiness and rounded finish; Saar Dry Goldcap ($210) which gathers the best cuts of the gin with additional cocoa beans, mirabelle plums, vanilla pods and an infusion of precious Goldkapsel Auslese 2005; and Cask Strength ($118) which weighs in at 66.6% ABV for potency, especially in a dry martini. For something with German flair and delicate sweetness, the Saar Quince ($89) delivers luscious creamy fruit flavours. All 500ml from maltwineasia.com

Fun facts:

Brothers Denis Reinhardt and Erik Wimmers, who had the original idea to make a unique Mosel gin from their region, approached master distiller Andreas Vallendar from Avadis Distillery and 11th generation Dorothy Zilliken from Weingut Zilliken winery back in the early 2010s.

Being at the beginning of the gin boom, they took their time to refine the groundbreaking new recipe for a terroir-styled gin that could represent the provenance of the Saar, and finally launched in 2013.

Their father was a Riesling fan who collected 25,000 bottles, giving the guys a headstart on honing their taste buds.

About 60% of their ingredients, such as lavender, quince and peaches, are grown by themselves, while they also make their own neutral grain spirit from barley, wheat, spelt and rye, to control the quality of the base.

The Goldkapsel Auslese from different vintages used in their Goldcap gin typically achieves 97 points from Robert Parker.