Arboretum Gin Limited Edition

Arboretum Gin Limited Edition was created for the 170th anniversary of Arboretum Kalmthout. The 2026 release was developed with local distillery Sterkstokers and contains rosehips hand-picked in the arboretum's rose garden in autumn 2025. The recipe also draws on the garden's rose petals and spruce, alongside juniper, angelica, thyme, fresh mint, oregano and cinnamon. Bottled at 38% ABV in a numbered run of 170, it ties the anniversary bottle to the living collection that inspired it.

Limited Edition · Fruity

Rosehip gives the limited edition its defining seasonal link: the fruit was gathered in the garden and added to a recipe that follows an earlier Arboretum Gin made with rose and spruce. The floral notes meet the resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary side of spruce and juniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary, while herbs and cinnamon broaden the botanical palette. These ingredients are named by the arboretum; the profile does not need invented tasting notes to explain the contrast between flowers, forest, herbs and spice.

Sterkstokers distilled the gin in the Kempen region of Antwerp Province, working with the arboretum on the recipe. The bottle was launched on 27 May 2026 alongside the opening of new borders in the rose garden. Its 170-bottle production marks the institution's 170 years in Kalmthout, and the proceeds support the arboretum's plant collection fund. Each numbered bottle was also offered with a bronze annual pass, linking the release to a visit to the garden.

The producer describes the gin as fresh and delicate and recommends mixing it with tonic. For a simple serve, pour 5 cl over ice and add 12 cl of Indian tonic waterIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary. Add a rosehip berry and a strip of lemon peel to the drink. The garnish echoes the fruit at the heart of the edition while keeping the floral and botanical character in view.