Gin d'Hiver

Tonka bean, cacao and candied mirabelle give Gin d'Hiver its winter character, while allspice and lapsang souchong bring warmth and a smoky edge. Distillerie de l'Ort made this limited 2025 edition at 40% ABV, in a 70 cl bottle. The recipe brings together sweet, roasted and savoury notes rather than relying on one dessert-like flavour. Cacao supplies the chocolate character; tonka adds a rounded, fragrant note; and the producer describes a macerationMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary of umeboshi and salted candied mirabelle that gives the blend a savoury counterpoint.

Limited Edition · Spicy · Fruity

The first aromas are led by cacao and tonka, with allspiceAllspiceA dried berry that recalls clove, cinnamon and nutmeg all at once, hence its name.Glossary adding a more direct, warming spice. Lapsang souchong, a smoked tea, brings a distinct suggestion of wood smoke. Mirabelle keeps the fruit character ripe and rounded, while umeboshi contributes a more savoury, lightly saline impression. These elements make the nose feel generous without turning it into a simple sweet aroma: spice and smoke keep the cocoa in check, and the juniper retains the familiar resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary thread of gin.

On the palate, the cacao is smooth and full, with a texture the distillery associates with cocoa butter. Allspice gives the middle a clear spicy warmth, then the smoked-tea note stretches the finish. The fruit appears as candied mirabelle, not as a sharp fresh-fruit burst, and the salted umeboshi adds contrast to that rounded impression. Juniper remains present beneath the richer ingredients, helping the gin stay recognisably botanical. At 40% ABV, the flavours have room to develop in a small neat pour or as the ice gradually opens the spirit.

The distillery recommends Gin d'Hiver neat, over ice or in cocktails, and lists serves including an Espresso MartiniDry MartiniGin and a little dry vermouth, stirred over ice and served in a well-chilled stemmed glass, with an olive or a twist.Glossary, hot chocolate, a Clover ClubClover ClubGin, lemon, raspberry syrup and egg white, shaken until it foams.Glossary and a White NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary. For a quieter first taste, pour 4 cl over one large clear cube in a short rocks glass. A slim strip of orange peel is a restrained garnish for the glass; candied mirabelle and a few cacao nibs alongside echo the recipe without adding syrup or extra sweetness. As the ice melts, cacao, spice and smoke become easier to distinguish, while the fruit remains rounded.