Crossbill Seasonal Gin Autumn 2025 takes the distillery's foraged approach into darker, more savoury territory. The confirmed ingredients are juniper, wild Scottish brambles and chanterelles, a combination that separates it clearly from a simple berry gin. The 50 cl seasonal release keeps Crossbill's dry-gin discipline, but uses autumn produce to add colour, fruit skin and a woodland note without turning the bottle into liqueur-like sweetness.

The nose opens with juniper and ripe bramble, then a darker earthy tone appears underneath. Chanterelles do not make the gin taste like a kitchen dish; they add a soft forest-floor depth that gives the fruit more seriousness. On the palate, blackberry brings dark juice and gentle tartness, while the juniper keeps the centre dry. The finish is where the gin becomes most distinctive: berry, resin and a faint mushroom-like savouriness draw out a longer, more layered aftertaste.

The perfect serve should respect that darker balance. Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water gives enough quinine to keep the glass dry, while a single blackberry and a small thyme sprig frame the fruit and the woodland side without adding sugar. Mediterranean tonic would make a softer drink, but Indian tonic is better when the aim is to keep the bramble bright and the chanterelle note controlled. Use large ice and avoid a heavy fruit garnish.

Crossbill Seasonal Gin Autumn 2025 is interesting because it treats flavouring as a seasonal botanical decision, not as decoration. It has the charm of bramble fruit, but also the dryness and strangeness that make it worth cataloguing as its own gin. Drinkers who usually avoid sweet flavoured gins may still find this bottle compelling, especially in a short, cold G&T.