Six months in oak stand between Branderiet Fadlagret Gin and the house London Dry it is made from. The Danish distillery presents it as a refinement of that classic recipe, bottled at 40.5% ABV in 50cl. Its golden colour and its drier feel both come from the cask, with no added flavouring and no colouring.

Oak works on the texture as much as on the aroma. The wood brings a restrained dryness that meets the juniper rather than covering it, and the heath-gathered berries, rosemary, pepper and almonds of the base recipe remain readable underneath. The result sits between a fresh dry gin and a lightly matured spirit: rounder, a little softer at the edges, still recognisably gin instead of a sweet barrel liqueur. Half a year is long enough to leave a clear mark and short enough to keep the botanicals in play.

Branderiet is one of the smallest distilleries in Denmark, run from a garage in Brande and working in tiny batches of gin, whisky and snaps. Half-litre bottles suit a spirit meant to be sipped slowly as well as mixed, and the house even publishes an Oak Aged Gin Sour built on 5cl of this gin. That recipe says a good deal about how the makers see the bottle: something with enough body for a shaken drink, not a curiosity reserved for neat tasting.

For a longer serve, orange is the garnish we prefer here. Build it over large ice: 4cl of gin, then 10cl of chilled Indian tonic poured slowly down the side of the glass. Twist a strip of orange peel above the ice and let it fall in. Citrus oils sharpen the oak without sweetening it, the dry finish stays intact, and a modest amount of mixer keeps the wood from disappearing. Next to a shelf of fruit-forward Danish gins, this is the quiet bottle of the range.