Deerness 2023 Edition Gin is interesting because its limited character is not only about a label or a batch number. Apart from juniper, the botanicals named for this release were grown at the distillery during 2023: tarragon, lime leaf, tomato leaf, basil and lemon balm. Only 200 presentation boxes were produced, which makes the bottle a precise snapshot of one growing season in Orkney rather than a permanent flavour line.

The aromatic profile is green, culinary and unusually fresh. Tarragon brings an anise-like herbal edge, basil adds a softer leafy note, and lemon balm gives a gentle citrus-herbal lift. Lime leaf sharpens the top of the aroma without needing extra peel, while tomato leaf is the detail that makes the gin memorable: green, slightly savoury and garden-like. In the mouth, the 38% ABV keeps the texture lighter, so the best reading is not power but clarity. Juniper gives the frame, then the garden herbs move through the palate before a clean citrus-green finish.

The perfect serve should protect that delicate herbal structure. Use 4 cl of gin with 12 cl of Mediterranean tonic, plenty of ice, a basil leaf and a small lime leaf. The garnish follows the confirmed botanicals and avoids adding fruit that would pull the drink away from its garden character. It can also work in a highball with soda and a small measure of tonic for drinkers who want the tomato leaf and lemon balm to remain very clear.

For GinToLove, Deerness 2023 Edition is a useful bottle because it shows how a limited edition can be specific without exaggeration. The story is in the plants: one season, five named botanicals grown at the distillery, and a profile that is fresh, herbal and quietly unusual.