Fifteen herbs chosen for one reputation is an unusual organising principle, and it is the one behind this limited edition. Forest Spirits assembles them with elderflower, wild strawberries and fresh botanicals, all organically grown, and bottles the result in Belgium at 45% ABV. The occasion is obvious from the name; what saves the bottle from being a novelty is that the strength anchors it firmly in dry gin territory instead of allowing a slide into something sweet.

Wild strawberry is the fruit that leads, and it behaves like the wild kind rather than the cultivated one: smaller in impression, more perfumed, tart at the edge instead of sweet through the middle. Elderflower answers it with a delicate floral lift, the two forming the top of the aroma together. Underneath, the herb blend supplies a green and quite complex base, aromatic rather than sharp, and without it the drink would have almost no length; a fruit-and-flower recipe on its own fades quickly. At 45% the whole thing has body and projection, and the finish stays dry despite how fruity the opening reads. That contrast between a soft nose and a firm palate is the most interesting thing here.

The strength invites a long build. A plain tonic and a full glass of ice, then let the herbs open as the drink dilutes; they arrive more slowly than the fruit and are worth waiting for. A single wild strawberry, halved, restates the recipe, while a twist of lemon sharpens it instead; there is no reason to use both at once. Avoid floral tonics, which collide with the elderflower. It works well as an aperitif and takes to sparkling wine without difficulty. The opening is fruity and the close is herbal, and the distance between the two is the interesting part.