First Impressions
Rives — producing gin in El Puerto de Santa María since 1880 — applies their century-old expertise to sloe gin. Selected sloe berries are soaked in their gin to produce a dark ruby liqueur that brings Spanish distilling precision to England's most traditional fruit spirit. The base gin is distilled in Rives' legendary 100-year-old John Dore copper pot stills.
Tasting
The nose is fragrant sloe and juniper with a little spirit warmth. On the palate at 25%, off-dry and crisp with medicinal berry flavours — the Rives gin base adding botanical complexity beneath the fruit. Tangy and fresh. The finish is lingering sloe with clean juniper — refreshing and moreish.
The Bottom Line
Rives Sloe earns a 7 — the quality of the base gin is what elevates this. Those century-old John Dore stills produce a gin of such character that even beneath sloe berries, you can taste the heritage. Best chilled as a digestif, in a Sloe Gin Fizz, or with tonic. At £23, remarkable value for a sloe gin with a 145-year pedigree.
