Craft Gin Club Subscription Box Review | October 2021

Last year’s Craft Gin Club offerings for October had a fantastic Halloween theme, so I was excited to see what they’d be doing this year. Featuring a spiced orange gin distilled in Ireland, October’s box was inspired by the Emerald Isle itself and was packed with plenty of snacks that stuck with the theme. But did it top last October’s?

Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate for Craft Gin Club, and have not been compensated in any way for this post. My gin subscription is ordered and paid for out of my own money and all opinions are my own.

What’s in the Box?

Micil Spiced Orange Irish Gin

Troughtons Raising Spirits Premium Indian Tonic

Bibite Polara Green Mandarin

Gnaw Irish Cream Milk Chocolate

Angostura Orange Bitters

The Soho Juice Co. Blood Orange, Raspberry and Ginger

Burt’s Snacks Guinness Crisps

Pipers Pitta Chips

The Banshee Cocktail Syrup

Blood orange and cardamom garnish

Micil Spiced Orange Irish Gin

Distilled in Galway, Ireland, Micil Spiced Orange Gin was a lovely autumnal treat. Alongside classic juniper and zesty orange peel, it combined flavours of clove, coriander, lemongrass, cardamom, cinnamon, lemon peel and lime leaf. The refreshing orange scent instantly hits you before you even take the first sip, but you also get floral notes thanks to the bog myrtle and heather botanicals. The gin also leaves a subtle sweet and spicy finish, and it makes for the perfect spirit for autumn sipping. Plus, I love the artwork and style of the bottle!

Troughtons “Raising Spirits” Premium Indian Tonic

Keeping with the Irish theme, Troughtons tonic is an award winning mixer made with fresh spring water from County Armagh. It had a crisp, fresh taste to it that really brought out the orange and floral notes in the Micil Spiced Orange Gin. Upon reading up about Troughtons tonic in this month’s magazine, they also have a citrus flavour, so I’d definitely be up for trying this one in the future.

Snacks

Sadly, this month’s snack offerings weren’t all that impressive. There was certainly potential, but once again it was a range of flavours that were just a bit too out there for me. I mean, Guinness crisps – that’s really NOT my thing. The Gnaw chocolate would have been something I’d usually try, but (unpopular opinion), I can’t stand the taste of Irish cream. On the mixers side, what’s the deal with them sending Angostura Bitters 2 months in a row? I’m literally never going to use it. I tried the Soho Juice Co drink with the gin, and while it was nice enough, I didn’t love it and it felt like it could have done with some fizz to help bring the flavours out more (I get the point is that it’s a fizz-free drink, but it could really have done with it).

The Cocktail: The Banshee

Oh dear. I feel this month’s cocktail was set up for failure instantly by its colour. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice idea, having a bright green beverage to fit in with the Halloween vibes, but let’s be honest, drinks should NOT be green. Ever. All I could see upon making it was a horrific IBS attack as a result of putting something that colour into my delicate snowflake of a digestive system. However, as we all know, I hate wasting booze, so I persevered. Taste wise, the cocktail wasn’t actually that bad. The Bibite Polara Green Mandarin was a really good choice to pair with the gin, but the cocktail itself was far too sweet for my liking.

Final Thoughts

While this month’s G&T recipe was great, I feel like the cocktail and the rest of the box was a bit of a letdown. Usually there’s at least one snack I’ll attempt to eat, but this month, none of them really appealed to me, so they were all put in the emergency snack bag that features so often in these reviews. It’s such a shame, as I really loved the theme of October’s box, but then I guess the offerings aren’t going to be for everyone.

Overall Rating for October’s Box: 5/10

Catch Up on Previous Reviews Here