Silent Pool Distillers Green Man Woodland Gin, 42%, 70 cl, Sustainable Spirits

Perfect in every way

The taste is light, dry and refreshing. A slight earthy, woodland herbal taste and smell that reminds you of autumn. I kept it simple, light tonic, ice and a slice of fresh lime. Will definitely buy again.

First thing to be aware of is the importhace of reading the opening instructions. This is a cardboard bottle with an inner bag - think of a wine box but in a bottle shape. When opening it make sure you grip the top of the bottle to unscrew the cap - holding the bottom may result in a collapsed cardboard bottle. I’m speaking from experience, trust me - hold the top!The flavour is unique to n me, the botanical infusions make this a wonderful tasting gin which holds its own when drank with a mixer. I normally find the gin gets lost, even in lightly flavoured mixers - not this one.This is certainly different to the norm. The recyclable bottle is a good feature but maybe a little gimmicky - wine boxes work so why not a gin box.

Cardboard bottle?! What?!This is quirky for sure, but it's not all a gimmick. The bottle is card with some sort of bladder inside to stop it from just becoming a soggy mess. It feels quite nice actually, and very lightweight.The taste of this gin is awesome though - honestly. I had low expectations thinking, ok, quirky bottle, thats the USP. But the taste is amazing too. There is a really fresh, outdoors palette with this. The front is light and crisp with a long finish that opens up with pine notes. Gorgeous.I would highly recommend this for drinking neat over ice, or with some mixers that accentuate the freshness - think gin mojito.

There are a lot of positives to this gin: particularly the multi-layered pro-environment approach of making the bottle almost entirely out of recycled cardboard and partnering up with Tree Nation to ensure that a tree is planted for every bottle sold. I presume that since my bottle was a review freebie rather than sold a tree was not planted in respect of this one, and will buy and plant a sapling accordingly.The bottle is very different. It’s structurally a bit odd-looking, because of the folded area around the neck, and feels incredibly light. This was quite eye-opening, as presumably by reducing bottle weight with sustainable materials then resources associated with shipping can be significantly reduced. The cap is metal, and there is a small amount of black plastic around the neck. Description says it’s recyclable: I would like to know if this is generally recyclable or the typical problem with black plastics, that they’re theoretically recyclable, but it’s a harder/more expensive process that’s not widely available. I had initially thought that this component might be made from one of the biodegradable, plant-based plastics (PLA), but that doesn’t seem to be the case.The bottle might not be the most attractive spirits bottle ever, but I don’t think this matters. If you want to keep it, as a World-first for spirits bottles, it’s a real talking point and one that suggests an unexpected way in which we could be reducing environmental impact – I really liked the fact that the manufacturer is challenging the traditional use of glass with a potentially more sustainable option. And if the bottle isn’t to your taste, there’s always the option of using a decanter. Keep the disposable packaging as light/limited as possible and invest in a couple of decent, reusable presentation bottles to transfer your booze in to once it arrives. Win/win.The gin itself is nice. It’s quite smooth and well-rounded. It has the expected resinous qualities, and follows through with a real woodsy dryness that’s absolutely in keeping with the Green Man theme. It’s not the most characterful gin I have ever tried, but is perfectly pleasant. I would buy this again having tried it. It is more expensive than mainstream gins – but drinking less and more responsibly is probably not a bad idea.

I found this drink very refreshing and super smooth. I tried it with a tonic and a slice of lime which was lovely. It can be a lovely Christmas gift and a fabulous bottle. It's lightweight and 100% recyclable. Highly recommend it.

I found the Juniper and apple flavours came through well in this gin and I enjoyed this wonderful citrusy taste. It went well with a slim line tonic, or for a more intense flavour experience it worked well on its own.I was impressed that the bottle and the packaging was all cardboard so all could be recycled. I did notice that there was a plastic liner in the cardboard bottle but again this can be recycled.

Before I get onto the content I have to say I'm a big fan of this cardboard bottle fully made from recycled materials, the gin itself is lovely with fresh woody herby notes, nice on its own or mixed with various fruit juices is equally nice, all in all, very impressed, recommended to all.