First Impressions
Three botanicals. Just three. In an industry where gin producers routinely list double-digit ingredient counts — some stretching to 47 and beyond — Death's Door Gin from Washington Island, Wisconsin, takes the opposite approach with a botanical bill of almost provocative simplicity: juniper, coriander, and fennel. That is it. The entire flavour profile of this 47% ABV spirit rests on three ingredients and the quality of the wheat and malted barley base spirit beneath them.
It is a declaration of confidence. Either these three botanicals, in these proportions, at this strength, produce a gin worth drinking — or the whole enterprise collapses. There is nowhere to hide with a three-ingredient bill.
The Distillery
Death's Door Spirits is now the largest craft distillery in Wisconsin, named after the treacherous strait between Washington Island and the Door County peninsula — a passage that has claimed numerous ships over the centuries. The base spirit is made from locally grown wheat from Washington Island and malted barley from Wisconsin, giving the gin a distinctly American grain character that is integral to the final product. The locally grown juniper, coriander, and fennel are the only botanical additions, and the distillery takes a craft approach to sourcing and production that belies its relatively large scale.
Tasting
The nose reveals how much a gifted distiller can extract from three ingredients. It is spicy, with juniper berries to the fore — assertive, piney, and properly gin-like. Coriander adds warmth and a slightly peppery aromatic, and there are hints of menthol from the fennel. But what makes the nose genuinely interesting is the grain base: cream, wheat, brown sugar, liquorice, and delicate peppery spices all come from the spirit itself rather than added botanicals. The base spirit is not a neutral canvas here — it is a full participant in the flavour.
On the palate, juniper appears first with an evergreen pine needle note that is clean and well-defined. The mid-palate is where the gin reveals its brilliance: rife with anise and fennel, creating a bright, sweet baking spice quality that is utterly engaging. The entry is supple and satiny — that wheat base contributing a mouthfeel that grain-neutral gins cannot match — and there are notes of citrus, peach custard, and herbal juniper that emerge from the interplay between the three botanicals and the characterful spirit. The 47% ABV gives everything body and conviction.
The finish is extraordinary for a three-botanical gin. Vibrant anise seed lingers alongside citrus marmalade on a sweet wheat cracker — a flavour combination that sounds improbable but is entirely accurate and utterly delicious. White pepper fades gently, and there are lingering notes of graham cracker, mint, and even a hint of tobacco. It is a finish of remarkable complexity from the most minimal of ingredient lists.
How to Drink It
Death's Door makes a singular Martini. The grain character, fennel sweetness, and juniper authority create a Martini that tastes like no other — try it at 3:1 with dry vermouth and a twist of lemon. The wheat base gives the drink a richness that rewards stirring over shaking.
In a G&T, use a classic Indian tonic and garnish with a slice of fennel bulb — the vegetable amplifies the gin's most distinctive botanical. It also makes an excellent Negroni, where the fennel-anise quality creates a fascinating dialogue with the Campari's bitterness.
The Bottom Line
Death's Door earns an 8 for proving that more is not always more. Three botanicals and a characterful wheat base produce a gin of startling complexity and individuality — the fennel-anise quality is utterly distinctive, the grain character adds depth that neutral-spirit gins cannot approach, and the 47% ABV gives everything the conviction it needs. At around £35, it represents genuine value for a gin of this quality and originality. If you believe gin needs a dozen botanicals to be interesting, Death's Door is the bottle that will change your mind.
