Spirit of Glastonbury Navy Strength Gin is the classic Somerset recipe taken up to 57% ABV, which is 100 UK proof. It comes in a 70cl bottle, wax sealed by hand, with its batch number written on the label. The makers are direct about it: sip it neat or lengthen it with a mixer, always with care.

Nine botanicals build the recipe, among them apples from Somerset's traditional orchards, juniper, cinnamon, coriander, liquorice, almonds, angelica, orris and lemon peel. The World Gin Awards panel, which gave it Silver in 2023, described a warm nose of honey and flowers with a note of cassia and candied apple, then intense juniper resin, some earthiness and a long, insistent finish. Higher strength holds all of that together once water or tonic arrives.

Somerset Craft Distillery works in small batches at Barton St David and draws its water from deep beneath Glastonbury Tor, a detail the brand ties directly to its sense of place. Orchard fruit runs through the whole range, from the classic 42% bottling to the pear and apple editions, and the navy version is simply the most concentrated way to meet that house style.

Restraint is the point when mixing. Pour 4cl over a glass of large ice, then add the tonic slowly, about 10cl, and finish with a lime twist for a brisk citrus note beside the liquorice and warm spice. Taste before you top it up: more mixer may suit you, but starting measured is the best way to understand the balance. This is also a gin for a small, slow glass rather than an oversized one. The same recipe exists at 42% for anyone who finds the navy version too demanding, alongside apple and raisin and orange and ginger editions from the same stills. Each bottle leaves the distillery sealed by hand, which fits the scale of the place.