First Impressions
Crossbill 200 Single Specimen uses Scottish juniper from a single bush that is approximately 200 years old in the Cairngorms, alongside Scottish rosehip. At 59.8% ABV, it is distillers strength — yet surprisingly easy sipping. The radical provenance of a single ancient bush makes this one of the most terroir-specific gins in existence.
Tasting
The nose shows vegetal celery and parsley early, then citrus, lemon, banana and fennel — complex and disarming. On the palate, smooth and bright with juniper, lemon, grapefruit, resiny spruce and pine. Surprisingly easy for 59.8% with soft sweet rosehip. The finish is bright, crisp and smooth.
The Bottom Line
Crossbill 200 earns an 8 for the ultimate expression of Scottish juniper terroir — a single 200-year-old bush. The concept is radical and the execution delivers, with the rosehip providing just enough sweetness to balance the ancient juniper's intensity. A genuine collector's gin.
