Thanks to their origins in malt, combining whisky and beer can be the boilermaker of choice for many but gin can just as often be a match made in heaven. That’s largely thanks to the floral combination in the juniper-led spirit, which means gin is a wonderful way partner to many IPAs, whether the featured hops are quite botanical or have a more citrus or tropical bent. Bad Shepherd have recognised the beauty in that combination with Jun IPA, which contains juniper berries alongside Pahto, Chinook, Citra and Simcoe hops.
The IPA itself is quite a classic IPA that’s both clear and quite orange and like an IPA you would have more likely found in a bottleshop a few years ago, it's quite sweet and has a clear swell of caramel to it but with that sweet edge balanced by a substantial bitterness. The hops meanwhile provide grapefruit, pine, floral, herbal and earthy qualities that closely combine and blend together with the distinct juniper berries. And even with Bad Shepherd somewhat cutting out the distilled middleman, it feels like you could do far worse than enjoying Jun IPA with a nip of gin on the side...
Wil Ziebell
Published May 17, 2022 2022-05-17 00:00:00
