Le Gin du Mont Blanc

At 1,365 metres, the distillery behind Le Gin du Mont Blanc is the highest in Europe. James Abbott, a Scot who moved to Saint-Gervais in Haute-Savoie in 2017, set it up and developed this gin with guidance from Tom Nichol, a master distiller with a lifetime achievement award from the Gin Guild behind him. The bottle carries 43.6% ABV in 70cl.

Citrus · Floral · Fruity · Herbal

That odd strength is a private joke made public: 43 and 63, the two men's ages at the first distillation, added up to the figure on the label. Eight botanicals go into the recipe, four of them Alpine and gathered around the distillery, juniper, génépi, angelicaAngelicaThe root of a tall umbellifer, earthy and musky. After juniper and coriander it is the most common botanical: it binds the aromas and holds the finish.Glossary and wild blueberry, with coriander, sweet orange, lime and liquorice brought in from France and Italy. MacerationMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary and slow distillation happen in 100-litre copper stills, and each run yields about 135 bottles, hand-numbered and signed.

The nose is clear and luminous, delicate juniper with mountain herbs and the sweetness of blueberry behind it.

The palate keeps that softness: citrus and juniper first, then the fruit, then génépi arriving late with its bitter-herbal Alpine signature, the same plant that flavours the liqueurs of the valleys nearby. Liquorice rounds the texture, and the finish stretches out on citrus, with a génépi trace that lingers long after everything else has gone quiet.

The distillery's own serve is 5cl of gin to 10cl of premium tonic, one large ice cubeLarge iceOne large block melts far more slowly than several small cubes, so the drink stays cold without watering down.Glossary and a twist of citrus zest, which is a shorter measure of mixer than usual and lets the mountain botanicals stay legible. Follow it before experimenting. Anything sweet or heavily flavoured smothers the génépi, which is the whole reason for buying this bottle rather than any other Alpine gin on the shelf.