There's something rather special about a collaboration between a distillery with genuine East London grit and one of the world's most celebrated botanical institutions. The East London Co. Kew Gardens Collaboration Gin brings together East London Liquor's distilling expertise with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew — a partnership that, on paper alone, feels like it was destined to produce something worth paying attention to.
A London Dry With Botanical Pedigree
This is a London Dry at 42% ABV, which tells me immediately that the distillers are confident in their botanical bill. That's not a showboating strength — it's a considered one, sitting just above the legal minimum for the category, suggesting they want the botanicals to do the talking without excessive heat. When you have Kew Gardens involved in the conversation, you'd expect the botanical selection to be thoughtful and perhaps a little unconventional, pushing the boundaries of what London Dry can be while respecting the discipline the style demands.
East London Liquor have built a reputation for spirits that are unpretentious but technically accomplished, and at £40.95 this sits in that interesting mid-premium bracket where you're paying for genuine craft rather than just packaging. The Kew collaboration suggests a spirit where every botanical has been chosen with purpose and scientific curiosity — the kind of gin that rewards you for slowing down and paying attention.
Best Served
I'd reach for this in a classic Martini first — a 3:1 ratio with a quality dry vermouth, stirred long over plenty of ice until properly diluted. A London Dry with this kind of botanical ambition deserves that clean, undisturbed stage. If you prefer something longer, a simple G&T with a premium Indian tonic and a twist of grapefruit peel would let the collaboration's character shine through beautifully.
