Continuing on from part 1
Although you may not have time to order BrewDog’s Twelve Wolves of Christmas, or if you do then you’ll be lucky if it arrives before the end of the year, I wanted to review more of its splendid flavours anyway, before the arrival of the truly magical Christian feast, for which the entire United Kingdom grinds to a halt.
Again, these flavours are reviewed in no particular order, as I don’t intend to spoil which numbered windows they’ve been placed in.
A genuinely fruity concoction! The nose doesn’t give much away, other than the typical Lone Wolf strength. But the palette delivers a fantastically balanced combination of the spices, and the flavours of apricot, fig, and the fruit peels. It really tickles the tongue, and gives you a much more varied experience than the other flavours; rounding it all off with a rush of smouldering warmth, that jumps right up the nostrils! It also rests wonderfully on the tongue, so a good one for sipping, I imagine. But just don’t sip all of it once!
Blended with.... Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water (low calorie edition), in a scotch-washed glass:
This is a great compendium of flavours! The profile has everything to offer, if you’re looking for more than just fruity or juniper notes. The ratio of gin to tonic is a little difficult to balance out - I don’t recommend ice, unless you absolutely have to chill what you’ve got. Perhaps shake the gin up with ice at first, along with a little vermouth, bitters, or even a little extra elderflower flavour if that’s more your jive?
There’s a real feeling of tasting the orchard, in this one! Not to mention a really lovely thin syrup stream, that stays in the mouth for minutes on end.
There’s really something sacred to this combination - a trio, or even quartet, of arboreal pleasures!
I’m sure that there’s a deity or two I could associate with this 
Peppercorn Gin
This bottle is less fresh on the nose. There’s a bit too much of a strong chemical smell, but I’m sure this wasn’t intentional, and it’s not too off-putting.
On the palette, there’s an abundant but not overpowering taste of peppercorns. The flavour evaporates much more nicely than the others I’ve tried. The spice profile is much more varied, crisper, with a subtle bit of heat just when you’re not expecting it, and thIs whole combination very likely had a lot of thought put into it.
The finish is dry, but also crisp and very much delivering all of those peppercorn botanicals with everything adjacent. There’s an aftertaste like a very refreshing mouth spray.
Blended with - Lemon flavoured soda drink:
These flavours mix really well! It’s a very quenching blend, full of surprises. A really great way to liven up a cheap little can or bottle of fizzy pop! An unsophisticated tipple, full of sophisticated tastes.
Cranachan gin
This brand-relevant and completely original flavour prides itself as being "inspired by the classic Scottish dessert of raspberries and oats". There is definitely a strong sense of raspberry dessert, along with that lovely bounce of fragrant boozy juniper, on the nose.
The palette seems to be very close to raspberry ripple ice cream, but still with those strong juniper notes. Something bitter hits the tongue within a moment of tasting, which is interesting, and also to me it doesn't register as part of the raspberry flavours - personally I find a lot of raspberry flavour things off-putting, booze or not booze, because it's just the wrong flavour for me. But not the case with this! There's almost a feeling like the flavour is being poured onto my tongue as well, as if the ice cream were soft serve. It's definitely one of the more moreish of the flavours! Very carefully balanced. Really makes a statement of its own. And the finish still carries that gorgeous spicy combination of botanicals!
Blended with.... Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water (low calorie edition) :
The flavour is surprisingly weak. I had to use at least 40ml to go with less than 100ml of tonic. It's got a nice bit of tartness to go with the sparkle. The sharper flavours definitely tease the tongue. But possibly a more aromatic tonic is a better option. Possibly it would be a waste to use this with too much tonic at all! Save it for a sweet or very berry flavoured cocktail? This might capture the sense of a scottish forest in winter, but.... It's quite a barren forest, all the same! Sorry!
Christmas Spiced gin
What a festive flavour! The nose is a proper mince pie smell, and really balances well with the juniper and fruity flavours!
This blend melts nicely onto the palette, then carries warmth all over the mouth with a KABOOM! It seems however, that the flavour when at room temperature is let down a little. The cinnamon and raisin flavours really stick nicely to the tongue though, and deliver a really gorgeous festive finish!
Blended with... Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water (low calorie edition) ;
Used in a light ratio, the tonic gives this a nice kick! You get butter and syrup notes on top of the cardamom and other spices. But I must confess, I was a bit taken aback to pick up something that tasted more like fish! 🤢
Something seems to have backfired in one of the botanicals they used - the coriander, or possibly the blood orange. I definitely wouldn’t enjoy this with anything salty! In fact, I would probably have this with a spiced tonic, or perhaps something which dampens those savoury notes.
The finish returns those lovely raisin and mince pie flavours again. Hold it in the mouth long enough, and you can really catch the warmth of all those spices. It’s definitely a connoisseur’s Christmas gin, not just a novelty. And indeed, you’ll probably want more of it by the time you’ve pretty much reached the last drops! But this Christmas Spiced gin definitely needs a careful pick as to what you mix it with - it can be nice, or it can be naughty!
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