Juniper does not spread its own seed. Birds eat the berries and carry them, and without that arrangement the plant behind every gin in the world would not travel at all. Juniper Bird takes its name from that relationship, and builds a Schiedam recipe around Mediterranean material at 42%, with two ingredients nobody else uses.

Wild pistachio is the first of them and it works at the base, contributing a dry nuttiness that is closer to green almond than to the roasted nut most people picture. It lends the palate a weight no root could supply. Oregano is the second, and it pulls in the opposite direction: dry, savoury and unmistakably a kitchen herb, it pushes the whole recipe toward the Mediterranean the name suggests. Between those two, the conventional botanicals hold everything steady. Lemongrass leads the citrus with a green, stalky sharpness quite different from peel. Cardamom cools the top, coriander seed warms the centre, and angelica root lays the dry earth beneath. Juniper stays clear and resinous throughout, which the whole conceit of the bottle rather demands. The result is herbal, nutty, citric and spiced, and it stays smooth.

Versatility is what the producer claims and the recipe supports it. Neat, it shows the pistachio most clearly. In a long glass, a neutral tonic and a generous handful of ice, garnished with fresh herbs rather than fruit, which follows the oregano and the lemongrass together. A Double Gold at the International Spirits Challenge and a Gold at Frankfurt, both in 2022, suggest the odd pair convinced the judges. Naming a gin after the bird that plants the juniper is a better story than most labels manage. A bird gets a credit here that no distiller could claim. It ends nutty, herbal and dry.