The name on the label is a supermarket and the name that matters is not printed at all. Steam Brew Destillery Dry Gin is sold by Lidl and made by Eckerts Wacholder Brennerei, a German house whose trade name translates as juniper distillery, and knowing who actually distils it explains why an own-brand bottle tastes like a considered recipe. Forty-two percent.

Hops are the ingredient that separates this from the category around it. They bring a green freshness with a light bitterness that behaves quite differently from juniper, and in the aroma they sit alongside the deeper botanical notes rather than above them. Citrus supplies the tang on the nose, and the palate opens with fresh lemon flavours that stay clean throughout. Then the fruit turns unexpected: orchard notes appear through the middle, subtle rather than obvious, and a hint of cherry follows them, which is not something a dry gin usually offers. Flowers fill in behind, herbal nuances run alongside, and liquorice closes the finish with a sweetness holding no sugar, adding length instead. Juniper holds the centre firmly, as the name of the distillery would suggest it must.

Elegantly dry is the description that fits, and it survives a mixer well. A neutral tonic, a properly filled glass, and lemon peel for garnish, which follows the citrus already in the recipe. Cherry as a garnish would overplay a note that is meant to be subtle. Undiluted, the hops are easiest to find. A bottle sold at supermarket prices and distilled by a specialist is a better proposition than either fact alone suggests. Own-brand spirits are usually built to a price and taste like it; the hops here suggest somebody was allowed to make a decision. It ends dry, citric and clean.