First Impressions
Cambridge Dry Gin takes an unusual approach: each of the eight botanicals is vacuum-distilled individually at low temperature, preserving raw flavours that conventional distillation would destroy. Many ingredients — basil, rosemary, lemon verbena, rose and violet petals — are grown in the distillery's own garden. The botanicals are then blended to create the final spirit.
Tasting
The nose is very fragrant and perfumed — strong juniper with perfumed floral notes and a pleasant bright menthol headiness. On the palate, a sweet floral almost-lavender lead followed by dryness, smoothing to round sweetness with fresh basil, lemon, spicy juniper, sweet rose and earthy blackcurrant leaf. The finish is lip-tingling with elegant, rounded floral warmth.
The Bottom Line
Cambridge Dry Gin earns an 8 for the sheer precision of its vacuum distillation approach. The individual distillation of each botanical creates remarkable clarity — you can taste each ingredient distinctly yet they harmonise beautifully. The garden-grown botanicals add genuine provenance. At around £38, it represents serious craft gin-making at its most methodical.
