Empress 1908 Gin 750ml

Empress 1908 Gin comes from Victoria Distillers, a craft distillery based near Victoria, British Columbia, and takes its name from the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel that has overlooked the city's Inner Harbour since 1908. The gin was developed as a tribute to that landmark, drawing inspiration from its long tradition of afternoon tea service and its namesake, Queen Victoria, who was also proclaimed Empress of India. That connection carries through into the gin's botanical choices, several of which nod to India rather than the more typical European sourcing seen in classic London gins.

Production begins with juniper, rose, coriander, grapefruit, ginger, and cinnamon macerated overnight in a mix of water and corn spirit, then distilled the next morning in a locally built 900 litre still with a rectification head. The hearts cut is collected and diluted to bottling strength before two final ingredients are blended in without further distillation, a proprietary black tea served at the Empress Hotel and butterfly pea blossom, an herb whose natural pigments give the finished gin its striking indigo color and a soft earthy note that plays against the citrus and spice.

The nose opens classic, with juniper up front alongside bright coriander and citrus peel, while the palate turns floral and slightly oily from the rose and pea blossom before ginger and cinnamon take over with real heat. The color itself shifts from deep indigo to pink or lavender when mixed with something acidic. It makes a striking Gin and Tonic and works beautifully in a Clover Club.