At Braeckman Distillery in Oudenaarde, master distiller Filip Braeckman makes Baldwin's Premium Distilled Gin in the family distillery founded in 1918. Each individually numbered bottle contains the gin at 46% ABV. Its production combines a traditional copper pot still with a recipe that brings together eleven traditional gin botanicals and three selected Flemish plants.

Citrus · Floral · Herbal · Vanilla

The botanicals macerate for 24 hours in grain spirit and water drawn from the distillery's own borehole. Braeckman then distils the small batch slowly in a Jacob Carl copper still, selecting the heart by hand and resting it before reduction. Only the distillery's locally sourced Oudenaarde brewing water is added after distillation. The method gives the botanical oils time to infuse the spirit, then keeps the finished blend focused on the selected distillate.

The ingredients are juniper, angelica, bitter and sweet orange, cassia, coriander, elderflower, lavender, lemon peel, liquorice, orris, Roman chamomile, star anise and Bourbon vanilla. In tasting, the gin's dry juniper and citrus sit alongside floral elderflower and chamomile; cassia, star anise and vanilla round the finish with gentle spice. Orange peel contributes both a fresh citrus lift and a more marmalade-like note, while the roots help hold the herbal and floral aromas together.

Baldwin's is recommended neat or over ice, and the producer also presents it in a Gin & Tonic and a Dry Martini. For a simple G&T, pour 4 cl over ice and add chilled tonic to taste; place a fine orange peel and a small elderflower cluster in the drink, which echo the citrus and the flowers of the recipe. Keep the tonic restrained so the dry base, flowers and citrus remain distinct.