Spring comes to The Shropshire Distillery once a year in the form of this gin. Apple & Honey is a limited edition released each spring in small batches, and it returned for 2026 in April, made with crisp red apples, rose, hibiscus and Hilltop Blossom Honey from Hilltop Honey, over a base of juniper.

The four ingredients form two pairs. Apple and honey are the headline: the apple brings acidity and freshness, the honey a softer, rounder texture that sits behind the fruit rather than covering it. Rose and hibiscus connect the two with a light floral edge, hibiscus adding a tart note of its own. Juniper shines through and keeps the gin dry, so the finish stays fresh and uplifting rather than sweet. As the drink warms, the honey becomes more noticeable; served cold, the balance is brighter and more floral.

Emma and Gareth Glynn set up their first distillery, the Gin Shed, at their family home in 2018, before moving to a purpose-built distillery in Ellesmere, and the house was named Distillery of the Year 2022 at the Prestige Awards. They distil in one shot, then blend and bottle by hand. The distillery also runs a gin school. Apple & Honey is bottled at 40% in 70 cl, and its honey comes from a named producer, Hilltop Honey, rather than from an anonymous sweetener.

A light tonic preserves the apple and floral detail. Build the drink over large ice cubes with a 4 cl pour of gin under 10 cl of chilled Fever-Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water, then add a dried apple wheel and a few rose petals, which mirror the recipe in the simplest way. Keep the tonic well chilled so the honeyed texture stays light. A dried apple wheel also keeps its shape in the drink better than a fresh slice would.