Whittaker's Clearly Sloe Gin: Clear, Dry Sloe Gin Sweetened With Liquorice

Item: Whittaker's Clearly Sloe Gin: Clear, Dry Sloe Gin Sweetened With Liquorice
Rating: 8
Author: Edward Forwood

Edward Forwood February 21, 2026 3 views

8 /10

EDITOR

Distillery: Whittaker's Distillery
ABV: 29% ABV
Price: £38

Tasting Notes

Nose

Rich slightly tart sloe berry — jammy berry notes with aromatic nuttiness

Palate

Sloe berry again with deep resinous juniper — sweetness from fruit followed by marzipan, piney core with juicy sloe and soft spice, dry and clean despite being sloe gin

Finish

Long with fruit slowly fading to dry cinnamon bark spiciness — the liquorice sweetener creating clean dry close instead of cloying sugar

First Impressions

Whittaker's Clearly Sloe takes their Original Gin, steeps sloes for six months and liquorice for 24 hours, then redistils — creating a clear, dry sloe gin. Liquorice is used as sweetener instead of sugar (50 times sweeter on the tongue), making this perhaps the cleanest-tasting sloe gin available.

Tasting

The nose shows rich tart sloe berry with jammy notes and aromatic nuttiness. On the palate, sloe berry with deep resinous juniper, fruit sweetness and marzipan, piney and dry. The finish is long with fruit fading to cinnamon bark spiciness.

The Bottom Line

Whittaker's Clearly Sloe earns an 8 for reinventing sloe gin. The clear appearance, dry character and liquorice sweetening create something genuinely new in a centuries-old category. If you think all sloe gins are sweet and purple, this will change your mind.

Edward Forwood

Senior Gin Reviewer

Edward has spent two decades judging spirits at competitions from the IWSC to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, developing a palate that prizes balance above novelty. A holder of the WSET D...