2934 Gin

Two French postcodes gave this gin its name. The 29 is Finistère, in Brittany, the 34 is Hérault, in Occitania, and 2934 Gin is the meeting point between two distillers from those departments. It leaves Quimperlé, where Distillerie Héroult distils it, at 40% ABV in 70cl, in a run of seven hundred bottles.

Citrus · Dry · Spicy · Floral · Herbal

The botanical list is split between the two regions. Juniper, coriander and cardamom form the common ground; Brittany contributes roasted buckwheat and angelica rootAngelicaThe root of a tall umbellifer, earthy and musky. After juniper and coriander it is the most common botanical: it binds the aromas and holds the finish.Glossary; Hérault sends orange zest, mint, almond and tomato leaves. That last one is the surprise: tomato leaf tastes green and faintly sweet, closer to a garden herb than to the fruit, and it gives the gin an unusual vegetal signature. Roasted buckwheat, a Breton staple, answers it with a toasted, nutty depth.

The nose opens on fresh foliage and delicate herbal notes, mint and tomato leaf together, with juniper holding its place underneath. In the mouth the build is clear: juniper first, then floral touches and sweet spice from cardamom and coriander, then the buckwheat arriving late with its roasted edge. Almond rounds the texture, orange zest lifts the finish, and the whole thing closes elegantly rather than loudly. It is a gin with a real point of view, and the vegetal line is what people remember.

Start with 4cl, 10cl of chilled tonic and large iceLarge iceOne large block melts far more slowly than several small cubes, so the drink stays cold without watering down.Glossary, then add a strip of orange zest and, if you have it, a single mint leaf left whole. Anything more crowds a recipe that already has a lot to say. A short pour neat is the best way to find the tomato leaf and the buckwheat, which both hide once the mixer arrives. Seven hundred bottles means this is a gin to taste on the spot whenever you happen to come across a bottle of it.