Bathtub Gin

[freneticfloetry]

BATHTUB GIN
Homebrew gin, thick with juniper, with hints of wormwood, clove, and nutmeg.

In the bottle: I really thought that Bathtub Gin and I were going to get along. Famously, even. At first sniff, it was my instant favorite. I bought a bottle without even dabbing it on, because I just knew we would live happily ever after, Bathtub Gin and I. And...

Wet: All was fine. Everything was going according to plan. We were frolicking through fields of gin-soaked juniper, tra-la-la, calloo, callay. Then...

Drydown: It began to turn on me. Perhaps there was too much frolicking, and it grew fatigued. Perhaps the wormwood tree that snuck up to smack me in the face had something to do with it. But...

Dry: Oh good god, get it off. It's not fresh and frolick-y anymore. It's funk and a gin-fueled hangover. It's as if a large, sweaty man left the gym, sat in a hot car in Savannah in July, then stumbled into a bar to bathe in Beefeater. It's tragic, is what it is. We could have been so happy together...

Damn my skin chemistry.

[PersephonesChild]

Dude. This is some awesome stuff here.

 

Ok, so while I know gin and juniper are supposed to smell similar, to my nose, they practically never do. So perhaps I'm missing the point here, but I don't find this to be at all the over-powering juniper that others have spoken of.

What I smell is gin and gingerale. Like, an absolute perfect cocktail-- fizzy and spicy, and a tiny kick to it.

I bought a bottle at C2E2 yesterday, and I'm so glad I did as I sniff it today.

[papermaker]

This is fun! It is like a spicy ginger ale. The juniper and gin mix perfectly. This I think will be popular with me over the spring and summer.

[ami226]

Definitely some effervescent gin in here! And juniper!! Doesn't have too much throw on me, but it isn't bad!

 

Okay, after a bit the juniper takes over. I love the juniper taste/smell of gin, but instead this is becoming full on juniper bush! I think I can also smell a tiny bit of clove, but this is mostly just a smooth juniper. Not much of a bite.

 

I think I would definitely love to have this one as a drink, but as a scent it isn't for me!

[fairnymph]

HELLO! juniper and gin! But not in a bad way. I suspect the juniper to dominate as it typically does on my skin in gin blends, but I only sniffed this. Still, it's pretty nice in the bottle. It's not scarily bullying juniper.

 

I shall update this review as I properly test all the new releases over the next 7-10 days, just an FYI.

[angelicruin]

Boozy gin & juniper. Reminds me a bit of a few of the Atomic Luau scents.

[heathercaley]

Ooo! I Like this!!

 

I wasn't sure about the juniper (and gin itself gives me the heebee jeebees) but I thought to give it a chance. I am so glad that I did. This is spicy and sweet with nutmeg on top (not too bright and spicy though) with a bit of juniper in the background. Juniper itself is a beautiful note. It doesn't smell boozy at all.

 

As it dries down, the nutmeg blends further into the juniper note, making it an afterthought. When I huff my arm, it's juuuuuuniper....and then nutmeg.

 

The throw is a light medium

 

 

I like it a lot!

 

Verdict? Better than a Tom Collins

Edited April 27, 2010 by Purrsnikety

[Little Bird]

This smells like a not-as-good version of Twenty-One on my skin. It's like fizzy, cool, juniper-y gin note, but sharper and more clean smelling. It's sweet in the bottle, but not so much on my skin. The drydown reminds me of a cleaning fluid smell. I can't pick out the clove, nutmeg, or anything spicy. Just a sharp, fizzy, almost chemical-soapy juniper/gin.

 

I don't find this very wearable at all...

[het4377]

Oh this is LOVELY! Fizzy juniper! I'm not catching much in the way of other notes, which really isn't a big problem for me, since I love me my pine! There is absoutly no morphing going on, it stays true to the bottle on my skin and through the drydown stage. I do wish it lasted a little bit longer, I only get 4ish hours out of Bathtub Gin before it's really too faded to detect.

[Dark Alice]

Fizzy juniper with a hint of ginger ale. This smells like a slow gin fizz without the strong gin note. My skin eats this quickly but it is lovely.

[raisin]

Oh, I love this one.

I get the juniper when it goes on, but it's mostly a fresh, fizzy note on me, which was something I had been looking for but didn't expect to find here. It doesn't have a whole lot of throw, but it lasted a full day without getting swallowed. I adore it. Definitely a new favorite for the summer.

 

ETA: After finally trying Twenty One, I can pick up a bit more of the fizz and spice in this one by comparison. Bathtub Gin has a lot more throw, and I certainly prefer it, but it's good to know there's something similar in the GC for when my bottle runs out. And it will.

Edited June 18, 2010 by raisin

[Klepz]

Wet: Oh god. The gin is STRONG, and the spices + booze ends up doing the same hillbilly candle deal that Twenty One did on me (Gin scents, it seems, do not like me).

 

Dry: The candle finally goes away and this is clovey, juniper gin. The juniper and gin are equal in strength now. I think if something replaced the gin it might be all right, but I don't like the spiced booze.

 

Further into the dry down this stays exactly the same. It remains strong for quite a while, unfortunately for me!

[devilot]

Bathtub Gin

In the vial: The effervescence of gin and slap-you-silly juniper.

 

Wet: Nano-second of gin then JUNIPERJUNIPERJUNIPER. So piney! Eek.

 

Drydown: I can see the potential for this to smell like ginger ale, but for the time being, my darned skin does not want to let go of that juniper. But yeah, I can easily see how this blend on someone else would read more as ginger ale.

 

Verdict: Big n-o, no. I don't like gin in my blends, and don't like juniper in addition to the fact that I amp it. So this blend just doesn't do anything for me. BIG THANK YOU to the C2E2 sniff circle started by GypsyRoseRed!

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Juniper, with some spices whirling deep down in the mix.

 

Wet: Dang, but someone threw some smushed-up juniper berries mixed in with fresh green twigs at my nose! But almost immediately, the twigs and berries are freshened and sweetened by the nutmeg and clove. There's a hint of gin, as in ginger, but only faintly. Not sure about the wormwood note, but I suspect it's what's keeping this scent a tad edgy with a sharp spiciness as a bottom note that can't be laid at the doorstep of clove or nutmeg.

 

The dry-down: As this dries down, it becomes sweeter, due to the nutmeg and clove, and also softer. This is very much a skin scent on me, and I'm also thinking that it might make a good winter-time scent. I'll have to compare this to Lines/Hills for later testing. I'm also reminded a bit of Cloister Graveyard. The juniper tree is a conifer which explains that piney woods scent note. It's more masculine to my taste, but I still like it.

[edenssixthday]

Bathtub Gin - I love BPAL's gin scents, so I was sure I would adore this one. When I put it on, it's a very dry gin scent, heavy with juniper and only lightly spicy. As it dries down, it becomes quickly evident that this gin blend does not work with my skin chemistry. Something in it (wormwood?) is turning incredibly "dusty" on me and completely overwhelming the other notes with it's dustiness. Within 20 minutes, the only thing I can smell is dust. I'm afraid this isn't going to work for me at all. For a lovely gin blend, I'm going to have to stick with my beloved Twenty-One, I suppose.

[bluerose]

In the bottle: Alcohol with juniper. I can't smell any of the spices.

 

On the skin: Hints of booze, but predominantly juniper.

[sunlitgarden]

Bathtub Gin

 

Juniper is the predominant note, but there's also a bit of sweet fizziness. It reminds me of gin mixed with Sprite, a sweeter equivalent of a gin and tonic. Yummy!

[jencallisto]

In the decant: Bright gin.

Fresh on the skin: Bright, sweet, a little bubbly, a little bitter. Kinda delightful!

5 minutes in: Fresh and bright, I really like this!

20 minutes in: Fresh and bright and delicately sweet, a tiny bit fizzy. Pretty!

1 hour in: Pure, light fizz. I like!

2 hours in: Just the tiniest hint of gin fizz left. That was fast!

3 hours in: Still a hint of bright fizz. I like this, but it doesn't last long.

4 hours in: Gone.

 

Verdict: Fizzy and fresh and bright -- delightful! Wish it didn't fade so fast. Still, the surprise love out of the C2E2 scents for me. Refreshing and good for summer.

 

One word: Fizzy!

[lilacea]

First up, this is bright, clean, herbal gin, very similar to all the other gin notes I've come across from BPAL. But very quickly that "alcoholic" smell burns off and it warms up to be a spicy, woodsy juniper. It's insanely close to my skin, I have a feeling I would have to slather this immensely to enjoy it without having to huff up close to my wrists. I don't know if I'm imagining it or not, but there's something almost like vanilla, it's slightly creamy and sweet at the very base of it all. More likely it's probably a pale sweet resin like copal or benzoin. It's not spicy, at least not what I would immediately define as a spicy scent, it's just warmed up ever so slightly.

 

I am only in the testing phase at the moment, so the long term wear may vary, but for now it's an almost green woodsy smell, with bright herbal top notes and slightly sweet warmth underneath. I imagine it would make for a pleasant summer perfume.

 

Actually, I now take back what I wrote a few minutes ago about it being very close to my skin. It seems now that it has warmed it is pulling off a bit more throw. It may have just been the cold here. It's not a huge amount of throw, but I imagine it would be enough for me to at least enjoy the scent whilst I wear it and not have to slather.

[milo]

This is effervescent gingerale and gin, at first. Would be great for hot weather, if we get any more! It dries superfast into fungus gin. Another blend that goes to fungus on me. My skin chemistry is weird, and this will obviously go to another home.

Edited October 28, 2010 by milo

[zankoku_zen]

Super fizzy gin. I love how effervescent some of the gin/alcohol based BPALs have been of late. This one is fizzy gin. As it dries, I get more of the woody components, and just a hint of tile. It's cool and fizzy.

 

Juniper in general is a highly dominant note, and this isn't really the exception. It's a little softened by the fizzy aspects of this blend.

 

Fizzy, alcoholic, fun.

[Wwindy]

There's definitely a strong astringent evergreen aspect to this blend -- my husband was reminded of bug spray, unfortunately, although I don't mind the herbal-ish brightness of it. The spice notes are very subtle. Basically, it does exactly what it says on the label: it's cheap gin! Not Hendrick's, not Tanqueray... generic well-drink gin.

 

Good if you like gin (which I do), but don't even attempt this if you don't!

[Gin]

I am powerless to resist Lab gin, so I was super-excited to get ahold of Bathtub Gin. It's fizzy gin, all the time. I can smell the nutmeg when I inhale deeply. It doesn't sound like an appealing combo--I favor fruity-gin blends--but it is so good.

[porcelina]

gin is not my thing. i smell like i just got really drunk and spilled a gin & tonic all over myself. i can see where this would be refreshing and cool if gin was your thing, but it just doesn't work for me! i hate leaving these short and useless reviews, but that's all there is to it. i just don't like gin.

[biocarolyn]

Fizzy juniper trees (!) What everyone seems to smell as gin, rather than juniper trees, is missing on me but since I love evergreens, its all good