War cut the spice routes, and the answer was to look closer to home. According to the brand, the founder went to Colombo's Cinnamon Gardens during the Second World War to prove that a fine London Dry could be built from botanicals available in Sri Lanka, and the recipe that came out of that is still what Rockland Distilleries bottles today at 43.1%.

Seven botanicals, which for a London Dry is a short list and for a spice-country gin an unexpected one. Juniper forms the dry, pine-like backbone. Liquorice and angelica root complete the classical base, the first rounding the profile without sweetening it, the second adding a slightly earthy depth. Then the Sri Lankan half arrives. Cinnamon bark brings warm spice, and Ceylon cinnamon is a genuinely different material from cassia. Ginger root adds a sharper aromatic heat beside it. Coriander seed contributes spice and a citrus-like lift. And curry leaves bring a green, savoury, herbal note for which no European London Dry has an equivalent.

That last ingredient is what makes the gin worth opening rather than merely well made. Curry leaf is nothing like curry powder: it is an aromatic leaf, faintly citric and distinctly savoury, and it hands the centre a direction nothing else on the list could have given.

The nose opens on juniper and dry spice with cinnamon and ginger clear behind, coriander lifting and the curry leaf marking its green accent. Nothing is heavy or sweet. The palate keeps the direct London Dry structure but changes the rhythm: juniper and angelica first, then warmth, then the savoury freshness through the middle. The close stays dry and gently spiced.

Plenty of ice, a crisp tonic and a curry leaf as the garnish, which states the case without adding sugar.