Gordon's Gin 1.75L

Gordon's traces back to 1769, when Alexander Gordon, a Londoner of Scottish descent, opened a distillery in Southwark and set out to produce a cleaner, unsweetened alternative to the rough, often sweetened gins common at the time. The gin proved popular with the Royal Navy, which helped carry it around the world, and by the late nineteenth century it had merged with Charles Tanqueray & Co. Production has since moved several times, first through London and Essex before settling at a distillery in Fife, Scotland, in 1998, where Gordon's remains the world's best selling London Dry gin.

The recipe centers on juniper berries, coriander seed, angelica root, and liquorice, the same four botanicals Alexander Gordon worked with over two hundred and fifty years ago, though the full formula also includes citrus peel and orris root and has remained a closely guarded secret since the distillery's founding. Only a handful of people know the complete recipe today. The gin undergoes triple distillation, and the distillery reportedly tests thousands of juniper batches each year, rejecting the majority in the pursuit of consistent quality before the final blend is bottled.

The nose is clean and unmistakably juniper forward, with coriander spice and a streak of citrus underneath. On the palate the gin is dry and crisp, with earthy root notes and a touch of liquorice rounding out a brisk, refreshing finish. It is the gin most associated with a classic Gin and Tonic, and it also makes a reliable, no-frills Martini.