Uncle Val’s Restorative Gin
Uncle Val's Restorative Gin is a 90 proof (45% ABV), 750mL California craft gin built around just four botanicals — juniper, coriander, cucumber, and rose petals. From 3 Badge Beverage Corp. of Sonoma, named for founder August Sebastiani's uncle Valerio Cecchetti, it is distilled five times from neutral grain spirit in Bend, Oregon, with the botanicals steeped in immersion bags, filtered through carbon and lava rock, and proofed with Cascade Mountain spring water. Scored 94 points by The Tasting Panel and 93 by Wine Enthusiast, it is one of the most decorated floral gins on the shelf. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 45% (90 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Botanicals: juniper, coriander, cucumber, rose petals
- Producer: 3 Badge Beverage Corp., Sonoma, CA — distilled in Bend, OR
- Distillation: 5x distilled neutral grain spirit, immersion-bag botanical steep, carbon + lava-rock filtration
- Recognition: 94 pts The Tasting Panel; 93 pts Wine Enthusiast
A Sonoma Gin with an Italian Uncle
Uncle Val's is named for Valerio Cecchetti of Lucca, Italy, the uncle of 3 Badge Beverage founder August Sebastiani — and the Restorative is the expression that built the brand's name. The four-botanical bill is deliberately spare: juniper and coriander do the gin work, while cucumber and rose petals give it the floral-citrus lift that sets it apart from juniper-bomb dry gins. Everything about the production reads craft — hand-labeled bottles, mountain spring water proofing — and the scores followed: a 94 from The Tasting Panel, 93 from Wine Enthusiast, and a place on The Tasting Panel's Top 100 Spirits list in 2015.
Tasting Notes
Independent reviewer Aaron Knoll (The GIN is IN) finds "sugared strawberries, rose and peach with a hint of cucumber" on the nose, piney juniper up front on the palate, rose in the middle with a sweet lime-zest edge, and a moderately long vegetal-juniper finish. The producer's own notes lean similar: crisp juniper berry and soft cucumber with the slightest hint of rose petal, moving through citrus, coriander, and juniper to a cucumber finish with a wisp of rose. Wine Enthusiast's 93-point review calls out savory coriander and a rich cucumber sensation, and finds it tasty as both a mixer and alone.
How to Enjoy
The rose and cucumber make this a natural gin for bright, floral cocktails — a Tom Collins or a Cucumber-Rose Collins lets the botanicals do the talking. For a martini drinker, it pairs beautifully with a softer vermouth and a lemon twist rather than olive. It sits well alongside the brand's citrus-led sibling — compare the botanical bills on the full Uncle Val's range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What botanicals are in Uncle Val's Restorative Gin? Four: juniper, coriander, cucumber, and rose petals — steeped in immersion bags before distillation.
Who makes Uncle Val's gin? 3 Badge Beverage Corporation of Sonoma, California; the spirit is distilled in Bend, Oregon, and bottled in Fairfield, CA.
Is Uncle Val's Restorative Gin gluten-free? The producer describes it as gluten-free, per its Distiller.com profile — standard for a five-times-distilled neutral-grain spirit.
San Diego gin lovers: order Uncle Val's Restorative Gin online from Del Mesa Liquor for fast pickup or delivery.