Recently rated one of New Zealand's top gins by the dish panel of expert judges, Victor Gin Kaffir Lime is full of classic gin flavours at full noise. It's fresh, herbaceous and aromatic, so it pairs beautifully with these Chicken Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce. And we hear it was inspired by early rock and roll...read on to see why we're dancing along. 

This article was created in partnership with Victor

With the classic profile of a great gin coming together like instruments in a band, it's easy to imagine how the team at Victor got the idea that gin is a little like music. Their idea to make a gin that conjures a soundtrack with more oomph than is traditional, however, is genuis. 

"Pondering early rock n’ roll, we thought, a few rudimentary instruments working together sound great – let’s work with the basics, get some robust tones going, then turn up the volume. This stripped back approach is how we created Victor Gin. Only the flavours we love, at full noise."

And in this edition, they've introduced fresh kaffir lime. So the original Victor Gin botanicals; juniper, lemon, lemongrass, cardamom and coriander, sing beautifully with kaffir lime loud in the mix. Fresh, herbaceous and aromatic, it's a punchy juniper forward gin, with a clear kaffir lime melody. 

This delicious drop garnered a gold medal in the dish gin tasting panel, coming out top of over 70 entries from all over Aotearoa. The immediate citrus blossom intensity wowed Cameron Douglas (Master sommelier and lecturer at AUT) and its herbaceousness and mid-palate balance and freshness impressed Tash McGill (International spirits judge and writer, aka ‘The Whisky Girl’). But it was its slippery texture, soothing, lime-laced flavours, juniper generosity and incredible length of flavour that won Yvonne Lorkin (dish drinks editor and experienced beer, wine and cider judge) over."

If that isn't high praise, we don't know what is - we're sipping ours with Chicken Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce (or perhaps a green curry...) and you can try this gem of a gin for yourself by purchasing it online, or picking up a bottle from any good liquor store. 

Victor Gin & Thomson Whisky
thomsonwhisky.com

Click here to see the dish gin tasting panel results.