Potato spirit is the base of this one, not grain, and the choice registers before a single botanical is added. Berentsens distils in Eigersund, on the south-western coast of Norway, and builds a Christmas-tree gin on that softer foundation: spruce needles and pine needles, juniper, orange peel, star anise, allspice and saffron. A silver medal followed at the 2023 Bartender Spirits Awards.

The two conifers deliver what the name promises. Spruce needles are the brighter and greener of the pair, pine the more resinous, and side by side they read exactly as a tree carried indoors, fresh rather than heavy, which is not how needle-driven recipes usually behave. Juniper is a conifer as well, so it fits underneath without a seam showing anywhere. Orange peel raises the top with a sweet zest that stops the green material from turning austere. The spices arrive last and stay discreet: star anise with its liquorice edge, allspice warm and faintly clove-like, and saffron, rare in gin, contributing a dry floral note rather than anything you could pin to a single flavour. Mild and balanced is the overall shape, needles and juniper in front, spice and citrus behind.

Restraint of that kind is easy to bury, so mix it lightly. A plain tonic, poured over a glass filled to the brim with ice, leaves the conifers audible; anything sweetened turns the star anise into confectionery. Orange peel doubles a botanical the recipe already contains, which makes it the better garnish, while a short spruce tip suits anyone who wants the tree pushed harder. Seasonal gins are usually sugar and cinnamon in a bottle, and this one takes the opposite route by tasting of the tree itself. It ends green, gently spiced and clean.