Ferdinand's Experience Set 5x50ml

Ferdinand's Experience Set with five miniatures from the Saar

Ferdinand's Experience Set is a tasting set from Ferdinand's Spirits featuring five 50-milliliter bottles in a gift box. It contains Saar Dry Gin, Saar Quince, and three vermouths—white, red, and rosé—totaling 250 milliliters.

Ferdinand's Experience Set is the gift set from Ferdinand's Spirits in the Saar valley, allowing you to sample their entire range in a single evening. The box includes Saar Dry Gin at 44%, the quince liqueur Saar Quince at 30%, as well as the White Vermouth at 18%, the Red Vermouth at 19%, and the Rosé Vermouth at 17%. Five bottles, one vineyard.

Five bottles, five distinct characters

In small portions, this set demonstrates just how far a house recipe can go when fruit, herbs, and wine are blended differently.

Saar Dry Gin provides a dry start with over 30 botanicals and juniper at its core. Saar Quince adds Muscat quince, resulting in a honeyed sweetness with a tart finish. The White Vermouth is aged in Mosel Fuder barrels, balancing Riesling acidity with herbs.

In the Red Vermouth, green walnut provides an unusual bitter note, complemented by the sweetness of local red fruits. Finally, the Rosé is the lightest of the bunch, floral with elderflower and passionflower, and fruity with notes of rhubarb and vineyard peach. Placed side by side, the five tell the same story in five different tones.

An evening to try all five

Fifty milliliters is enough for two glasses of vermouth or one and a half gin and tonics, making it the perfect amount for a small gathering of two.

A logical order is to go from dry to sweet: first the gin neat over ice, then the two light vermouths, followed by the red, and finally the quince liqueur. For those who prefer to mix, the set contains everything needed to make a martini without having to open two full-sized bottles.

The box makes an excellent gift for milestone birthdays, housewarmings, or as a host gift for someone who already knows gin but is looking to discover something new. The packaging is designed so that no wrapping is needed, serving as a mini bar on the table for the evening. If you would like to stick to one variety afterwards, you can find the full-sized bottles in the Ferdinand's collection.

Riesling from the Saarburger Rausch in every bottle

What connects these five is the wine, as every bottling contains Riesling from the same steep vineyard.

Saarburger Rausch is a south-facing, steep-slope site with Devonian slate, managed by Dorothee Zilliken at the VDP Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken. Distillation and preparation take place at the Avadis Distillery, run by Andreas Vallendar, whose family has been processing fruit in Wincheringen-Bilzingen since 1824.

It all began in 2013 when siblings Denis Reinhardt and Erik Wimmers convinced their two friends to join them in creating a Riesling gin. That single gin has since grown into a range of ten products, from bitters to non-alcoholic cordials. At the International Spirits Competition, the Dry Gin won gold and was named the most aromatic spirit of the year.

This gift set is the quickest way to get an overview, and you can find further German spirits on the gin shelf.