“This extraordinary clean taste sensation springs from a unique blend of fresh, light tasting gin infused with a hint of pear flavour.” – BEEFEATER WET BOTTLE
I was excited to finally receive my bottle of Beefeater WET in the mail. After having been told that it had been discontinued by Beefeater, I frantically scoured the country to buy up every last bottle of it… and the first has finally arrived. I had last tasted WET as a completely under-employed member of the service industry. I am not sure if I first came across it in a liquor store, or if a local haunt had it on the list, but if memory serves correctly, it had an unmatched elegance of flavors and was just barely kissed by citrus and pears… It was perfect in a GnT, and great in certain martinis. If memory serves correctly, it was truly a remarkable spirit and well worth the nationwide treasure hunt. And following this test, memory served correctly!
All of my tests are conducted in relatively the same way. I pour roughly 50 millilitres at room temperature into a glass, neat. I conduct the first wave of critique. If the producer has specific requests for their product (splash of warm water, rocks, tonic, etc,), I prepare it that way and repeat the test
Hats off to the designer of the packaging. The label plays with silvers and blues presenting a true luxury goods package with high-end appeal, a nod to the beefeater himself as a silhouette within a silver droplet. It is clear, having the WET so pronounced and the BEEFEATER underneath, that this is not to be mistaken for the traditional Beefeater Dry Gin, this is something different.
The term “perfume” is often overused in reviews, but for this drink, it is well suited. Like a half of a fresh pear sprinkled with christmas spices (allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, a whisper of anise) spritzed with a bit of lime juice. It is light and wonderful.
A somewhat overly soft attack, perhaps reflecting the spirit’s 70 proof. Maybe I am used to higher-octane drinks, but this one is a round, full-mouth, smooth flavor, and is easy to swallow. Pear being the primary taste here, the christmas spices and citrus are lost as the hard-fruit fully takes over the palate. It is interesting to note that they have also done something with the texture of the liquid itself. I believe there has been sugar added to the mixture following distillation. I don’t think that this can be accomplished by spices alone. The viscosity of the drink creates the feeling of the gin slinking through every corner of the mouth. I’m not sure how something can be “more liquid,” but your standard dry gins are definitely that. But just as the product is soft on the attack, it escapes into nothingness quickly. There remains, for several minutes, lingering pear and apple on the palate, but it is faint and delicate.
Why dedicate an entire post to a spirit that has been discontinued? Because I believe that this product, albeit not for all palate, still has some potential for many audiences. It is quite unique. Chances are, by this point, if you do come across a dusty old bottle among the “CLOSEOUT SPECIALS” of your local store, it will be around twenty dollars, and will be worth your taste.
Beefeater WET label
Dedicated Spirits 