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

Really lovely gin. Packaging is amazing love the design.

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 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.

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.