I have been on a Gin tasting expediton lately. Three weeks ago I started with Plymout Gin, my very first gin. A very nice gin full of flavor very smooth. A very good Gin. Then Two weeks ago I went with Brokers Gin which is very smooth may even be a bit nicer than Plymouth, but with a 94 Proof could only have a couple before getting really fealing it. Might have a little bid of alcohol bit compared to Plymouth. Last week I bought a bottle of New Amsterdam which I do not consider to be a traditional gin. It is very citrusy, which makes for a lousy Martini, but not bad with a G&T or grapefruit juice. Do not buy this if all you drink is a classic martini. Then today I bought a bottle of Magellan which is by far the best Gin I have tasted yet. I made a dirty martini and an old fashion martini, and could not believe how smooth and aromatic it was. By far the best I have had yet. May finish bottle by tomorrow it is so good. Next week I will try Martin Miller's and maybe Hendrick's.

Awesomne Gin! Best I've ever tasted. Don't waste it by adding any flavours or juices - have an old fashioned Gin martini with this one. Wow.

Essentially the best gin made. Bright, snappy, crisp, fruity, with the distinctive odor and flavor or juniper. It also creates a big wow impression when I show it off to people because of its natural sky blue color.

The flavor is never forgotten with this Gin. I can drink other gins and enjoy them but when I draw up a memory of what gin tastes like it is Magellan that defines this category.

No other gin I have ever tasted is so perfect in its balance of floral and juniper flavors.

They do nothing wrong and everything right with this Magellan.

Bombay Sapphire is unbeaten as far as the actual texture is concerned, its velvety feel is like drinking oil or hand lotion, but sapphire's flavor is muted and unmemorable by comparison to Magellan.

Magellan "is" Gin.

This is a phenominal gin - best I have ever tasted! Also not available in British Columbia - if you see it, buy it!

Absolutely the best gin I have ever tasted!!! Shared it with a neighbor and she liked it too. I am from Washington State where liquor stores are state owned. They have discontinued Magellan. I was so upset. Went around and bought up several bottles from different stores locally. Will be able to buy by the case. I liked the clear gin, there's a slight taste difference in the blue. Don't care. Am a customer for life!. I also was able to buy some of the holiday sets to get the beautiful hand painted glasses. Wish I would have tasted this gin earlier. Better late than never.

I was a little dismayed not to find this gin on the shelves of my local package store. Its was only when I asked the clerk about it that I was told it could be special ordered. Now I buy it by the case. Hmm... does unopened gin ever go bad? Not only is this the smoothest gin I've ever tasted, it has the most beautiful shade of blue.

I give it 5-stars (the blue stuff). Good enough to drink straight. My husband was not a gin drinker at all before, couldn't stand gin, but then I introduced him to this and he now loves it too. It's soooo smooth, and has nice flowery sort of sweet essences. But, I live in the State of Washington where they have evil state run liquor stores. Magellan (easily my favorite gin) was missing from the shelves yesterday, so I asked about it. They told me they are "phasing it out" for the whole state. This is apparently the decision of the State of Washington liquor board-- is it not popular enough? I don't know. WHERE am I going to get my Magellan now? I may be crossing state/ country lines on my liquor runs. If you got it where you're at, consider yourselves lucky.

The Best...Especially now that Blue is Back!

The new clear Magellan is terrible, this 5 star rating is for the Magellan Original. I cant imagine what angle Magellan thinks they are taking by trying to appeal to the mainstream gin drinker with the new, lower quality gin. I cant see a Seagram's drinker paying $35 for a bottle of gin. I was a Sapphire fan prior to finding the original magellan but will be looking for a comprable replacement. With the discontinueation of the best gin I believe was available. Any suggestions?
***************UPDATE******************
After submitting this rating I sent a nastygram to Magellan, and received a prompt reply stating that the Magellan Blue is coming back!!!!!!! I deleted it before I thought about posting it here.
***************UPDATE*****************

"Dear Ryan Street,



First and foremost, we would like to thank you for your past response regarding Magellan Gin. We have heard your candid comments and passionate pleas to bring back the blue color loud and clear. So, we have listened!



Effective immediately, we have begun shipping the blue Magellan Gin you love, featuring iris root and flower (Magellan Gins secret ingredient), to our wholesalers across the country. In the short term, you may see blue Magellan Gin packaged in a blue bottle, but rest assured, its the blue Magellan that you love. By the holidays, blue Magellan will be back in a clear bottle. We wanted to let you know the good news right away, but please bear with us, it will take a little time for restaurants, bars and retail stores across the nation to transition back to blue!



Thank you again for taking the time to offer your honest opinion, it was quite refreshing to have such a passionate consumer base, one which we never take lightly. Hopefully, our change back to blue Magellan Gin will showcase our commitment to you, our loyal consumer, and our overall commitment to offering an exquisite, high end gin for people with discerning tastes.



Now once again, you can enjoy what we believe is the best gin available today.



Sincerely,



Magellan Gin Customer Service"

THEY WHAT. I can't believe what I'm reading here. I intend to buy up every bottle of blue Magellan gin I can lay my hands on in short order, because that stuff was, well, five-star gin. I haven't tried the new "mainstreamed" gin, I suppose I'll have to give it a fair shake, but I'm alarmed by what I'm reading here. BRING BACK MAGELLAN CLASSIC.

After purchasing several bottles of Magellan gin a few months ago, I was shocked when I got it home and looked closer at the bottle. Why did they put it in a blue bottle? The answer was not pleasent. It was now just another gin. There are plenty of mainstream gins on the market without having to create another one. Which brings me to the question of why they really did this?? I have found a very nice replacement, it is "Damrak" premium gin from Amsterdam.

Five stars for taste, zero stars for the marketing cowardice of going mainstream clear. Add this sad chapter to the list of marketing failures like "New" Coke. Totally lame, and totally ignoring the concept of brand loyalty.

We recenly were in Maui and were looking for a gin. The Magellan bottle caught our attention because it was the size we were looking for. Imagine our surprise when we opened it and tasted it! Who needs vermouth for a martini!!! ??? When we bought our bottle, it was one of four left in the store. On our way home. we purchased two more to bring home and our friends purchased the last bottle to bring home. We were MOST DISAPPOINTED to hear of the change in the recipe. We will be savouring out two bottles for years to come (as they will only be offered in special occassions) and dreaming of when the REAL Magellen will return. Remember when new CocaCola was introduced? Coke got the message instantly. They understood what their consumers wanted. Perhaps you will get the same message. SA & KW. Regina, SK, Canada

The original blue Magellan was superior. I had hoped that changing its color wouldn't affect its taste, but unfortunately the new Magellan is just average. I guess that's what it takes to be "mainstream". If all I had wanted a "soothing blue glass" bottle, I would have just continued to drink Bombay Saphire. Now, regrettably, I'm searching for another gin.

I am also one of the disapointed people who will miss the old style Magellan gin,I have spent the last two nights goining to the local liquor stores, looking for the old style blue gin,I found two 750mls bottles last night,and three liter bottles the night before,I guess this will hold me for awhile,then I will be forced to try the new style clear gin.My five star rating is for the old style gin.

I just purchased a new bottle of Magellan gin and was taken. When I went to make a Martini I noticed that the gin is no longer blue, like the icy blue waters off the Straits of Magellan! Now your gin looks like all the rest, boringly clear. I bought your gin not only because it tastes unique but it also looked unique. Why did you do that? Regards, Ken Slotkowski _________________________________________________ Their reply: -----Original Message----- From: Crillon Importers Ltd. Sent: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 19:39:39 -0500 Subject: Magellan Gin Customer Service Dear Mr. Slotkowski: Thank you for your recent comments regarding the change to Magellan Gin from a blue liquid to a clear liquid. We truly appreciate your candor. We realize not everyone will understand or agree with this change. However, simply put, Magellan Gin will now be a clear liquid to appeal to a more mainstream Gin audience. Rest assured, Magellan Gin is the same delicious Gin using the exact same fresh botanicals from around the globe, including natural Iris root and flower, which bestows Magellan with a crisp, balanced flavor and refreshingly smooth taste. The Iris root and flower will now be part of the "fresh distillation" process rather than an infusion after distillation. To preserve the spirit inspired by Magellan's travels between the blue sky and deep blue sea, Magellan Gin has been bottled in a soothing blue glass. We trust that you will understand this change was a necessary one in order to continue offering what we feel is one of the finest Gin's available in the world. Please refer to magellangin.com in the near future for all updated brand information. Thanks again for your comments. We do hope you will continue to enjoy one of the finest Gin's available today. Sincerely, Magellan Gin Customer Service __________________________________________ Follow up message: Dear Customer Service, You took an unique product and made it mainstream? That would be like Rolex making quartz watches or Chevrolet changing the Corvette into a sport utility vehicle. What a disappointment, I'll most likely switch to Citadelle or go back to Bombay Sapphire. Regards, Ken Slotkowski

My favorite gin without question. I'd give 5 stars, but that leaves no room for improvement, and there are gins I haven't tried yet (looks like I'll have to find Hendrick's to try). Someone else said not as smooth as saphire...that's absurd. As my good friend stated, "Magellan makes Saphire taste like swill!" I do agree, Citadelle is quite close, as is Tanq. 10 and Plymouth. And Magellan is undoubtedly better than regular Tanq. Alas, Magellan has changed their process and will no longer have the blue color that makes it worth the extra $5-10 over Plymouth or Tanq. 10. They claim that the new process is to "appeal to a more mainstream gin market" in their response to my email inquiry. Magellan also claims that the taste is not affected in any way (Iris root is now distilled in the 4th distillation instead of infused after distillation). This simply is not true; not only is the blue color gone, but the gin isn't as smooth as before. I am in search of the last remaining bottles of blue gin before switching to Plymouth.

Magellan and Citadelle, both French made gins, are very similar and superb. Drink them on the rocks and taste the botanicals...um. um, good.

Smooth without losing any taste. Not as flavorful as Hendricks, nor as smooth as Sapphire, but still very much to be appreciated.

Not quite Hendricks, very close, the blue iris color makes me smile though. Slightly above Citadele, only slightly depending upon mood. Very nice gin, not to be pushed out of bed. Mike

Best Gin I've tasted so far. Blows Bombay Sapphire out of the water. I concur wit the review above about us gin drinkers being a dying breed. If it ain't made with Gin, it's *NOT* a Martini! Has anybody else noticed that Gin *really* seems to be a functional aphrodisiac?

This gin is hard to find, at least in Florida. I bought a bottle on a cruise ship ($26.95 duty free) which is pretty steep. I found the taste quite delightful. Does very well just straight with no additives. Let's hear it for the gin Martini! I'm beginning to think we're a dying breed in this crazy Vodka world.

Distinctive with the iris blue, but not as good as Hendrick's, Tanq #10, A.J. Raj or even the regular Tanqueray.