Sugar kelp grown in the North Sea, heather from the North York Moors and Yorkshire honey give Whitby Gin its coastal character. Whitby Distillery combines these three local ingredients with twelve traditional botanicals in a 42% ABV London Dry. The kelp now comes from Seagrown, which runs one of the first offshore seaweed farms in England, off Scarborough; it was originally foraged by hand at Robin Hood's Bay.

Dry · Floral · Herbal

The 2019 World Gin Awards named the Original Edition Best British London Dry Gin. The distillery describes it as clean, fresh and well rounded, with a smooth coastal character. Whitby itself sits where the moors meet the sea, so the recipe brings together both landscapes in a single bottle. The town is famous for its ruined abbey and its fishing harbour.

The nose is herbal and floral, with a delicate sweetness and a maritime freshness. Heather brings a dry, wildflower note, while the honey rounds the botanicals without making the gin sweet, and the kelp, a brown seaweed grown on ropes in the sea, adds a faint saline, savoury edge rather than saltiness. Heather blooms across the moors in late summer, turning them purple.

The palate is clean and rounded, and the finish closes on a gentle juniper note; juniper stays in the background but gives the gin its backbone, while the honey lends a slightly fuller texture.

The distillery's own serve uses a Mediterranean tonic, whose herbal character suits the heather and the kelp. Add a slice of pink grapefruit and a small sprig of rosemary to the glass. The grapefruit brightens the coastal notes, and the rosemary echoes the herbal side of the gin; stir gently and let the drink rest a moment so the herb releases its aroma.