Villa Ascenti Gin

In Piedmont the grape that matters is Moscato, grown on the hills for a wine the whole region is known for. Distilleria Santa Vittoria puts it into a gin instead, alongside mint, thyme and Tuscan juniper, and that grape is what makes Villa Ascenti read as Italian rather than as a London DryLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins made elsewhere. Bottled at 41%.

Citrus · Fruity · Herbal

Four botanicals leaves little room, and the two herbs carry most of what is audible. Mint opens the nose cold and sharp, thyme follows drier and more savoury, and the pair of them gives the gin a green top that arrives ahead of everything else. Juniper is present but deliberately held back, sitting behind the herbs rather than leading them, which is what places the recipe outside the classical style. The Moscato then appears on the palate, and it contributes body quite as much as flavour: a rounded, faintly sweet-leaning fruit note that softens the herbs without turning the spirit into a liqueur. Copper pot stillsPot stillA traditional still, often copper, that distils in batches. It keeps more texture and character than a column.Glossary carry the whole thing, and the result is textured rather than lean.

Juniper and herbs come back at the close, clean and dry, which is where the gin reclaims its category after the fruit has had its turn. Nothing lingers heavily. Putting a wine grape into a spirit that is not a brandy is rarer than it sounds, and the reason it works here is that Moscato is an aromatic grape and not simply a sweet one: it carries a floral, musky character that behaves like a botanical instead of like a sugar.

A neutral tonic and a garnish that follows the recipe rather than decorating it: a slice of lemon and a sprig of thyme, both of which the botanicals will recognise. In cocktails it suits builds that leave the herbal top notes room; anything with a heavy modifier will erase the Moscato first, which is the whole reason to open this bottle rather than another.