Gin Advent Calendar Day 18: A Near-Perfect Gin, and a Rant About FND

It's Day 18 of the Drinks by the Dram Gin Advent Calendar, and tonight we're tasting Whitley Neill's Rhubarb & Ginger Gin. This one is a firm favourite of MrsVark's, and it turns out to be a high scorer for me too, reminding me of my mum's rhubarb crumble. It's a rare moment of total agreement.

A Moment to Rage Against the Machine (The Faulty Neurological One)

Before we get to the verdict, let's address the elephant in the room. You will notice MrsVark is still recovering from fatigue and that her speech has the fluidity of a reversing dump truck with a flat tyre. It's Functional Neurological Disorder, FND, and it's a fucking pain in the arse.

It's a bastard thief, this thing. It doesn't just steal mobility; it takes the everyday act of communication. She knows what she wants to say – the words are there, lined up and ready to go – but FND breaks the link between thought and speech, causing a stammer that can be so bad the word doesn't start at all. It's one thing to be physically knackered, but it's another level of cruel to have your own thoughts held hostage by a faulty connection between brain and mouth.

So, if you'll permit me a moment of (not so) uncharacteristic rage, filtered through my usual layer of Britishness: FND can, with respect, fucking go and fucking do one, the fucking fuck fuckity fucker. Fuck. and shit.

Right, back to the gin. It's more interesting.

Day 18: Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin

Gin: Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin ABV: 43% Style: Flavoured Gin

This gin is a powerhouse. The rhubarb flavour is proper, authentic stuff – not synthetic sweet nonsense. It genuinely tastes like the rhubarb crumble my mum used to make, with a nice kick of ginger to finish it off. It's smooth, it's flavourful, and it's actually drinkable neat. MrsVark was right about this one.

The Verdict: A massive 9.5/10. This is right up there with the best of the calendar so far. An absolute triumph.

The Running Tally

• Day 1 (Sipsmith's): Solid start – 8/10
• Day 2 (Gordon's Lemon): Cleaning product disaster – 2/10
• Day 3 (Tanqueray): Respectable recovery – 7/10
• Day 4 (Darnley's Navy Strength): Quality gin, questionable timing – 7/10
• Day 5 (Moonshot Gin): A low-energy but decent gin – 7/10
• Day 6 (Edinburgh Raspberry): A house divided – 7.5/10
• Day 7 (Tanqueray Blackcurrant): Solidly mid-range – 6/10
• Day 8 (Bathtub Gin): Excellent – 9/10
• Day 9 (Boatyard Sloe Gin): A triumph – 9/10
• Day 10 (Greater Than Gin): Solidly average – 7/10
• Day 11 (Hendrick's Grand Cabaret): A resounding success – 9/10
• Day 12 (Caorunn Scottish Raspberry): Drunkenly approved – 8/10
• Day 13 (The Lakes Classic Gin): Perfectly acceptable – 7/10
• Day 14 (Jaffa Cake Gin): Better than expected – 8/10
• Day 15 (That Boutique-y Gin Company Cherry Gin): A clear winner – 6/10
• Day 16 (Spit-Roasted Pineapple Gin): Does what it says on the tin - 7/10
• Day 17 (Roku Gin): Competent and professional - 6/10
• Day 18 (Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger): Near-perfect - 9.5/10

Success Rate: 94.4% (17 successes, 1 miss)

The Calendar: Drinks by the Dram Gin Advent Calendar
Previous days: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Days 7, 8 & 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Days 14 & 15 | Days 16 & 17