Citadelle Jardin D'Ete Gin 750ml

Citadelle Gin comes from Maison Ferrand, the Cognac house founded by Alexandre Gabriel, who launched Citadelle in 1996 as the pioneer of French craft gin. The brand is based at Château de Bonbonnet in Ars, just outside Cognac, where Gabriel grows his own juniper on the estate, making Citadelle the only gin distillery in the world to cultivate its principal botanical on site. Jardin d'Été, released as a permanent addition to the range in 2021, takes its inspiration from a real garden on the property, cultivated by Gabriel's wife Debbie and filled with the fruits, flowers, and herbs that eventually found their way into the gin's recipe.

The gin builds on Citadelle's original nineteen botanical recipe, adding Charentais melon, yuzu zest, whole lemon, and extra orange peel to bring a fresh, fruit-forward dimension to the classic base. Following Citadelle's patented progressive infusion method, each botanical macerates and distills separately at its own tailored time and strength, an approach designed to preserve delicate aromatics that would otherwise be lost in a single combined distillation. The gin is produced in small copper pot stills heated by open flame, a traditional Cognac-region technique, and bottled at 41.5 percent alcohol by volume.

The nose opens with ripe melon, orange, and lemon, layered with an unexpected lift of yuzu. On the palate, violet and fennel emerge first, followed by a warm touch of Sichuan pepper against a classic juniper backbone. It makes a wonderfully aromatic Gin and Tonic and pairs beautifully as an aperitif alongside fresh melon or a light seafood salad.