Sandymount Spring Gin

Sandymount names just three flavours for Spring: strawberry, fresh mint and juniper. The limited seasonal gin is made in a small batchSmall batchProduction in small quantities per distillation run, often in a small still. The term has no legal definition.Glossary for the season and bottled at 40% ABV. It belongs to the Distiller Series, in which the distillery's newer distillers create their own seasonal gins at Sandymount, on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin. The distillery sums it up as bright, light and dry, with a pink hue and a natural sweetness that never turns sugary.

Dry · Limited Edition · Fruity · Herbal

Ripe strawberry comes first on the nose, fresh rather than jammy, and fresh mint follows with a cool, leafy lift. JuniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary stays gentle, supporting the fruit rather than competing with it.

On the palate, the strawberry feels soft and round, but the gin finishes crisp and dry, as the distillery promises. The mint keeps the finish brisk and stops the fruit from becoming heavy. It is a short, clear idea of spring in a glass, very different from the spice and herbs of the Winter gin in the same series. Mint is unusual as a lead botanical, and here it acts as a fresh counterweight to the fruit.

Its fruit and mint make it a natural fit for a Southside, with lime and a little sugar, or for a gin Smash muddled with fresh strawberries. Topped with sparkling wine, it also makes a light, pink aperitif. A simple G&T with a few sliced strawberries shows the fruit most clearly.

For the long drink, pour 45 ml of Spring Gin into a balloon glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary filled with ice and add 100 ml of Double Dutch Rose Tonic Water slowly down the side. Add a strawberry and some fresh mint to the glass, and serve the same garnish on a small plate beside it. The rose tonic adds a floral note that suits the strawberry, and keeping the mint whole perfumes the rim without bitterness.