Three black teas from three regions is not a decorative choice. Assam, Cashmere and Yunnan taste nothing alike, and distilling each of them separately before blending is what allows the difference between them to survive into the bottle. Deluxe Distillery builds Blind Tiger Imperial Secrets on that idea at 45%.

Tea in a spirit contributes tannin before it contributes flavour, and the three here divide the work. Assam is the maltiest and the most robust, giving the palate its weight. Yunnan is earthier and smokier, and it settles lowest. The Cashmere tea sits between them and carries the floral character that closes the finish. Around that centre, the botanical list is classical and generous. Bitter almond is the most distinctive of them, marzipan-adjacent, dry where one expects sweet, and it works underneath the tea. Lemongrass supplies a green stalky sharpness up top, with lemon peel offering a cleaner citrus beside it. Grains of paradise bring the peppery heat, coriander its warm spiced seed, and angelica with iris root anchors and binds. The aroma opens on matured grain spirit, juniper and warm spice before the citrus arrives.

Tannin and spice together accept a mixer more comfortably than most gins. A smooth tonic works, ginger ale suits the pepper directly, and a hot toddy is the unexpected option that the tea makes genuinely sensible. Neat or over ice, the three teas separate most clearly. Lemon peel is the garnish throughout. Distilling tea is difficult because the leaf turns bitter under heat, and three at once is three times the problem. That they stay distinguishable is the whole return on the extra work. Tea is the ingredient a gin reaches for when it wants structure rather than flavour. It closes tannic, spiced and floral.