Taylor & Smith Dry Gin

A cleaned and dried abalone shell is infusedInfusionFruit or plants are steeped in the spirit to release their flavour. Done after distillation, infusion often adds colour too, and the gin can no longer be called London Dry.Glossary in Taylor & Smith Dry GinDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins, adding a slight saline note to the spirit. The Hobart distillery bottles the gin at 46% ABV in batches of 200, and names fresh sage, Huon pine needles and red grapefruit among its botanicals, alongside juniper. Taylor & Smith presents it as its own interpretation of a London DryLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins.

Citrus · Dry · Herbal

Fresh sage brings a green, savoury quality to the nose, while Huon pine, a slow-growing Tasmanian conifer, adds a distinctive resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary note that sits naturally beside juniper. Red grapefruit supplies a crisp, slightly bitter citrus edge.

On the palate, the abalone shell shows as a gentle salinity rather than a taste of the sea, and the gin stays dry and aromatic. The finish is long and herbal, with pine and sage outlasting the citrus. At 46%, the botanicals have the strength to stay present in a mixed drink. Sage brings a soft, slightly camphor-like warmth to the palate too.

The shell is part of the process rather than the botanical list, and it explains the distillery's cocktail suggestion. Its Oyster 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 combines the gin with dry vermouthVermouthAn aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with herbs and barks; its name comes from the German Wermut, wormwood. Dry vermouth goes into a Martini, sweet red into a Negroni.Glossary, dry sherry, lemon and an oyster, so the savoury character meets briny ingredients while grapefruit and lemon keep the finish lifted. The same saline edge makes it a good partner for seafood, and a dry Martini with a twist shows the sage and pine clearly.

For a gin and tonic, fill a balloon glass with clear ice, pour 4 cl of gin and add 10 cl of chilled Fentimans Mediterranean Tonic Water, then stir once. A red grapefruit twist and a fresh sage leaf repeat two of the named botanicals. The herbal tonic follows the sage, and the grapefruit sharpens the citrus. Slap the sage leaf lightly before adding it.