Three people in what appears to be a home office or creative space. In front on the left, a woman with bright red hair styled up, wearing a sparkly dark jumper with metallic gold threading. In front on the right, a bald man with black-framed glasses and a long purple beard, wearing a dark grey t-shirt with gold and orange text reading "ACTUALLY AUTISTIC". He's holding up his right hand showing four fingers extended, displaying multiple silver rings and wearing colourful festival-style wristbands and a braided blue and yellow bracelet. Behind them stands a younger man with reddish-brown hair wearing a dark dressing gown, looking at the camera. Behind them on the left is the female mannequin upper torso with lampshade decorated with bright pink tinsel, white plush seagull, and various ornaments on a dark purple wall. A large display of reflective circules arranged in rows is visible in the centre background. On the right, a mannequin, head out of shot, wears a black sleeveless jacket, decorated with various colourful badges including rainbow stripes, "STAY WEIRD" text, and chains. The setting has cream-coloured and blue walls with various decorative items throughout.
Published in Food
Hello and Goodbye from TheAardvarks
theaardvark

Gin Advent Calendar: The Grand, Belated Finale

We actually did it. Every single one of the 25 doors on the Drinks by the Dram Gin Advent Calendar is now open. Honestly, I’m surprised we managed to keep this up, but somehow we did. This last post is a bit late—recorded on December 28th—because the festive season had other ideas. With MrsVark still not feeling great and me running on empty, Christmas Day turned into a nap marathon instead of a gin tasting.

But we couldn’t just leave it hanging. Even with all the health stuff this month, doing this together has been a lot of fun. For the final round, we even brought in a special guest: MicroVark, making his first appearance and looking about as happy as a cat at a dog show.

Day 24: Never Never Distilling Co. Triple Juniper Gin

First up for Christmas Eve was the Triple Juniper Gin from Never Never Distilling Co. Even the name sounds a bit ominous. It promised a lot of juniper, and it definitely delivered. This is a proper, no-nonsense gin for grown-ups. MrsVark, being sensible, tried it over ice and made a face that said it was more of a test than a treat. As for me, it tastes like the most London gin you can imagine—the sort of thing that probably inspired Hogarth’s Gin Lane. Mother’s Ruin, for sure.

Day 25: KYRÖ Pink Gin

For the main event on Christmas Day, we got a Pink Gin from Finland’s KYRÖ distillery. MrsVark usually likes a pink gin, but this one wasn’t very pink. Still, it was actually pretty good. It’s flavoured but not too sweet, which is more than you can say for a lot of them. Not a bad way to finish the calendar, even if it wasn’t a showstopper. MicroVark even tried a sip, then announced he’s not a gin person. Typical.

So, Was It Worth It?

So that’s it for our slightly chaotic, often late, and sometimes mannequin-assisted trip through 25 little bottles of gin. Some were brilliant, some tasted a bit like cleaning fluid. It’s been great sharing it all with you.

Thanks for sticking with us through all this nonsense. We’re officially done with daily gin reviews—our livers need a rest. Happy New Year, and here’s to more gin in 2026.

Photo: Twenty-five empty small glass bottles of gin arranged in a row on a dark wooden surface, flanked by white decorative busts, framed photographs, and decorative items. From left to right, the bottles have black screw caps and cream-coloured labels reading various brands including multiple "DRINKS BY THE DRAM" bottles, "Tanqueray", "THAT BOUTIQUE-Y GIN COMPANY", "EDINBURGH GIN", "JAFFA CAKE GIN", "EAST LONDON LIQUOR CO.", "KYRÖ DISTILLERY COMPANY", and "NEVER NEVER DISTILLING CO." One bottle has a distinctive pink label. Behind the bottles on the left is an ornate dark wooden oval frame containing a 25-year-old photograph of an 8-year-old girl and woman in red. Next to it is a light-coloured rectangular frame showing two people in formal dress in a garden setting. A brown wooden frame contains another photograph. On the far left is a tall decorative horn with coloured horizontal stripes, and a white classical-style bust. Small decorative items are visible between bottles, including a Christmas-themed lego figurine and a card reading "Someone like you Makes it all Worthwhile" with bee illustrations. On the right side are more decorative items including a framed artwork of a sloth. A white classical-style bust is positioned on the far right. The scene is set against a cream textured wall.

The Final 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
  • Day 19 (North Uist Downpour Gin): Pleasant but strong tasting - 7/10
  • Day 20 (Aviation Gin): The quiet, unassuming one - 7/10
  • Day 21 (Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb & Ginger): The ace in the pack. Top notch - 9½/10
  • Day 22 (East London Liquor Co Gin: An everyday gin that's not London Dry - 8/10
  • Day 23 (Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin): A gin for the Tequila enthusiast - 8/10
  • Day 24 (Never Never Distilling Co. Triple Juniper Gin): Gin² - 8/10
  • Day 25 (KYRÖ Pink Gin): A good, classic pink gin - 8/10

Success Rate: 96% (24 successes, 1 miss)

So, what did we learn from all this? Well, the final tally shows that 24 out of the 25 gins scored a 6/10 or higher. That’s a 96% success rate, a figure so surprisingly positive that either MrsVark and I know bugger all about Gin, or Drinks by the Dram know A LOT. Perhaps our standards slipped as the month wore on, or maybe the cumulative effect of daily gin consumption made us more generous.

Either way, for a project undertaken amidst health challenges and general festive chaos, we’ll take it. It turns out that even when you’re not feeling your best, it’s hard to be disappointed by gin in a tiny bottle. A resounding, if slurred, success.

Let us know in the comments what you thought, and if you’ve got any ideas for what we should try next. Cheers!

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 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Days 20 & 21 | Days 22 & 23

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