# Has Anyone Directly Compared "Bombay Sapphire" to "regular" Bombay?



## somethingsilly (Feb 26, 2007)

Locally, the old standard - the regular, clear Bombay - has become somewhat harder to get hold of than the sapphire variety, which, when it is offered alongside the regular, seems to sell for a few dollars more per bottle.

Has anyone compared the taste, aroma and mouth-feel of the two? What differentiates the one from the other - beyond the obvious added color?

Thank you.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

To my taste, Sapphire is a bit more aromatic than straight Bombay, with a slightly fuller taste. I like it better for martinis m(the only way I drink gin), and on theginguy.com, it won several blind taste tests hands down against all the major gins. Of course, the only taste test worth noting is your own.


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## eyedoc2180 (Nov 19, 2006)

rip said:


> To my taste, Sapphire is a bit more aromatic than straight Bombay, with a slightly fuller taste. I like it better for martinis m(the only way I drink gin), and on theginguy.com, it won several blind taste tests hands down against all the major gins. Of course, the only taste test worth noting is your own.


More aromatic, I agree, and smoother, I assert. The regular Bombay gin is nothing special to this palate, and I actually prefer Beefeater or Tangueray in that price range. Though I usually do martinis on the rocks, a Sapphire straight from the freezer into a frosted glass, with olive and twist, sans vermouth, is a little slice of heaven. Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving! Bill


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

eyedoc2180 said:


> More aromatic, I agree, and smoother, I assert. The regular Bombay gin is nothing special to this palate, and I actually prefer Beefeater or Tangueray in that price range. Though I usually do martinis on the rocks, a Sapphire straight from the freezer into a frosted glass, with olive and twist, sans vermouth, is a little slice of heaven. Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving! Bill


However, freeze-chilling Sapphire (or any gin) totally kills the aromatic qualities. That may be your reason for doing it, but I don't really understand using Sapphire. This is the reason for stirring, not shaking, a gin martini (to us martini drinkers that's a redundant description, of course); you don't want to get the gin that cold. With vodka, it doesn't matter. If you want to try a real martini (a matter of taste, of course), use Sapphire 4x1 with vermouth and a couple of drops of _orange_ bitters (devilishly hard to find, but worth the chase), stir gently with ice, drink straight up with a twist.


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## eyedoc2180 (Nov 19, 2006)

rip said:


> However, freeze-chilling Sapphire (or any gin) totally kills the aromatic qualities. That may be your reason for doing it, but I don't really understand using Sapphire. This is the reason for stirring, not shaking, a gin martini (to us martini drinkers that's a redundant description, of course); you don't want to get the gin that cold. With vodka, it doesn't matter. If you want to try a real martini (a matter of taste, of course), use Sapphire 4x1 with vermouth and a couple of drops of _orange_ bitters (devilishly hard to find, but worth the chase), stir gently with ice, drink straight up with a twist.


You know, I think that you are probably right. I do like the esthetic quality of Sapphire at that temperature, but it may be the appeal of the toned-down aromatics as well. I would mostly prefer a good single malt scotch anyway.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

eyedoc2180 said:


> You know, I think that you are probably right. I do like the esthetic quality of Sapphire at that temperature, but it may be the appeal of the toned-down aromatics as well. I would mostly prefer a good single malt scotch anyway.


That certainly calls for a different thread, and a drink!


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## eyedoc2180 (Nov 19, 2006)

rip said:


> That certainly calls for a different thread, and a drink!


Indeed! There have been some pretty good scotch threads in the past few months, though I am inclined to "imbibe" again! Any suggestions for a topic? Bill:devil:


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## Flashy (Mar 15, 2006)

Just as a note, there's no difference in color. Bombaby Sapphire's bottle is blue, but the spirit itself is clear.



somethingsilly said:


> Locally, the old standard - the regular, clear Bombay - has become somewhat harder to get hold of than the sapphire variety, which, when it is offered alongside the regular, seems to sell for a few dollars more per bottle.
> 
> Has anyone compared the taste, aroma and mouth-feel of the two? What differentiates the one from the other - beyond the obvious added color?
> 
> Thank you.


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