First Impressions
McQueen's Spiced Chocolate Orange combines the festive appeal of chocolate orange with the warming spice of cardamom and cinnamon — all distilled as botanicals rather than added as flavourings. From the Trossachs Distillery in Callander, hand-bottled and wax-sealed like all McQueen expressions.
Tasting
Cacao, orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, and juniper. The nose is orange oil with cardamom and cacao. On the palate at 42%, orange takes centre stage entwined with floral juniper, spices building with cardamom and cinnamon, then rich cocoa envelops the palate with lingering zesty spice. The finish is dark chocolate bitterness with orange zest and cinnamon warmth.
The Bottom Line
McQueen Spiced Chocolate Orange earns a 7 — essentially a Terry's Chocolate Orange reimagined as a gin, with cardamom and cinnamon adding spiced complexity. The distilled-not-flavoured approach produces genuine depth. Best with light tonic, a cinnamon stick, and an orange spiral. At £15, festive indulgence at a price that feels like it should be impossible. The Trossachs' Christmas gift.
