WHAT OUR RESIDENT GIN EXPERT SAYS:

I do love a dry gin. All these weird and wonderful combinations are certainly fantastic, but sometimes it's best to just get back to basics. That isn't to say that this gin is boring, though. It's made using juniper, coriander and angelica root, macerated in pure wheat spirit for 24 hours. That's right, just the very first step of making this gin takes an entire day. After that, they add their botanicals; guests of honour include grapefruit, black pepper and lavender. Natural Cotswolds water is used to bring it down to bottling strength. Anyway, enough talking - let's get to the gin itself.

Right from the start you're greeted with a bottle designed to scream luxury - the black label with silver writing, on top of the dark and intriguing bottle, makes this gin an exciting experience to even hold in your hands. They say on the label that the gin is "unfiltered" in order to preserve the flavours imbued by the botanicals used in the distillation process. Well, we'll put that to the test in just a moment. Uncorking reveals subtle notes of juniper and lavender, leaving a lightly floral scent. Upon further "investigation" though, you'll notice a definitive fruity and citrusy note - this is the grapefruit coming through. This is easily one of the best smelling gins I've ever tried, but of course that isn't the main event.

I poured out a generous measure of this straight on the rocks, although it's also recommended to be used in a mixed drink. Immediately upon tasting, you'll notice a delectable sense of citrusy grapefruit, tempered by spicy notes of juniper and black pepper. I can only describe it as a wondrous experience. This is followed by a more herbaceous taste of coriander and what I believe was bay leaf, along with more lavender (which wasn't a taste I believed I liked until I tried this). To finish, this gin leaves you with a clean aftertaste, with a citrusy flavour. It's certainly a fantastic gin, and it didn't take long for me to finish my glass (or should I say, even less time than it normally does!)

In short, dry gins hold a special place in my heart amongst all the gins there are. And of those dry gins, this one just secured itself a special place inside of that special place. I could easily recommend this to anyone looking for a special dry to enjoy on a snoozy Sunday afternoon.