If you think gin is exclusively a British affair, Citadelle would like a word. Distilled in the Cognac region of France at the Château de Bonbonnet, this gin draws on a recipe that dates back to 1771, when Louis XVI granted a royal licence for gin production. The modern incarnation, relaunched by Alexandre Gabriel in 1996, uses nineteen botanicals — an unusually generous count that could easily tip into chaos but instead achieves remarkable harmony.
What makes Citadelle particularly interesting from a production standpoint is its use of flame-heated copper pot stills, the same Charentais stills used for Cognac. Each botanical is added at a precise point during the distillation process rather than being macerated together, allowing the distiller to control how each ingredient expresses itself in the final spirit.
On the Nose
The nose is immediately complex. Juniper is present but refined — think juniper in a French garden rather than a Scottish hillside. There's a floral quality, almost violet-like, woven through with star anise and a whisper of cinnamon. Citrus appears as delicate grapefruit rather than bold lemon. If you sit with it, you'll catch fennel and a gentle nuttiness that hints at the almond among those nineteen botanicals.
The Palate
The palate confirms the nose's promise of complexity without confusion. It enters soft and slightly sweet — that Cognac-region water perhaps contributing something ineffable — before the juniper asserts itself alongside warm spice notes. Cardamom and cumin provide an almost savoury quality that sets Citadelle apart from many of its contemporaries. The texture is notably smooth, with a medium weight that carries the botanicals evenly across the tongue.
The Finish
The finish is where Citadelle really distinguishes itself. It's long and evolving — the spice lingers, then gives way to a gentle anise sweetness, before settling into a dry, slightly peppery conclusion. There's genuine development here, the kind you might expect from a fine spirit rather than a mixing gin.
Mixing Notes
In a gin and tonic, Citadelle brings sophistication. Those spice notes play beautifully against the quinine, and a grapefruit twist rather than lemon brings out the best in this gin. It's also superb in a White Lady — the anise and floral notes dovetail with the Cointreau, creating something genuinely elegant.
At nineteen botanicals, there's a risk of the gin trying to be everything at once. Citadelle avoids this trap through careful distillation technique and what feels like genuine restraint in how those botanicals are balanced. Nothing dominates, nothing disappears — it's an ensemble performance rather than a solo.
For anyone exploring gin beyond the London Dry canon, Citadelle is an essential stop. It's a gin that rewards attention, improves with familiarity, and demonstrates that the French approach to spirits — patience, precision, tradition — translates beautifully into juniper.
