The name is a tribute to Derbyshire's mining legacy, and the strength lives up to it. Miner's Strength is the navy-strength version of Dog and Spoon Distillery's London Dry, bottled at 60% in a 50 cl bottle, a notch above the usual navy benchmark.

The recipe is short, six botanicals, and at this strength each one is easy to follow. Juniper leads and gives the gin its pine-like spine. Fresh lemon rather than dried peel brings a brighter, juicier citrus, and lemon verbena adds a second lemon note, more herbal and perfumed. Cardamom lifts the middle with its eucalyptus freshness. Bay leaves and cassia provide the warmth underneath, bay savoury and slightly resinous, cassia more robust than true cinnamon. With so few ingredients and so much alcohol, nothing is hidden, and the gin relies on proportion rather than on complexity. Lemon verbena is rare in gin, and next to fresh lemon it makes the citrus taste more like a herb garden than a fruit bowl.

Dog and Spoon hand distils in small batches, then bottles and labels the gin itself at its converted grain store in Alfreton, a building turned into an eco-friendly site; the distillery was certified carbon neutral in 2022. The same year, Miner's Strength won the High ABV category at The Gin Guide Awards, a category that rewards balance at high strength. Hand distilling in small batches also means the strength and the cuts can be checked run by run.

At 60%, dilution is part of the recipe. Use 4 cl of gin and 10 cl of a premium Indian tonic on firm ice, then add a lemon wheel and a bay leaf, which picks up the savoury side of the botanicals. Give the drink a moment before the first sip so the ice can soften the alcohol; the lemon and the verbena open as it does.