First Impressions
During the 18th-century Gin Craze, there was a gin shop on virtually every street in the City of London. Then punishing taxes shut down distillation in the Square Mile for nearly 200 years. In 2012, Jonathan Clark changed that — opening City of London Distillery on Bride Lane, off Fleet Street, in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral. Clark had bought the freehold in 1997; he'd washed dishes at the same address as a teenager in 1967. Two 140-litre copper pot stills named Jennifer and Clarissa (after the Two Fat Ladies) produce approximately 200 bottles per batch.
Tasting
Just seven botanicals — juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice and fresh orange, lemon and pink grapefruit. The nose is pungent piney juniper with zesty pink grapefruit and subtle parma violet. On the palate, clean and characterful: attractive orris violet, rooty liquorice and enlivening peppery spice. The finish lingers on juniper and citrus with subtle pepper. This is a textbook London Dry that proves seven well-chosen botanicals can outperform twenty mediocre ones.
The Bottom Line
City of London Dry earns an 8 for restoring gin to its spiritual home with impeccable craft. Jamie Baxter — the same consultant who built Burleighs and Chase — designed the stills and created the gin's profile. Behind bomb-proof glass in an underground speakeasy bar, visitors can watch Jennifer and Clarissa at work. A 4.5 from Difford's and a Master title at The Gin Masters 2014 confirm what the Square Mile's return to distilling always promised: no gimmicks, just honest gin.
