First Impressions
Hensol Castle Distillery makes a claim that no other gin distillery in the UK can match: it operates from within a 17th-century castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. The castle's 400-year-old walled gardens provide several of the gin's botanicals, including lavender, marigold, and jasmine — picked by hand from grounds that have been cultivated for centuries. It is a provenance that money cannot buy and that newer distilleries cannot replicate.
The gin won Gold at The Spirits Business Awards 2021, confirming that the castle-garden concept delivers quality as well as romance.
The Distillery
Hensol Castle Distillery operates within the castle itself, using a traditional copper pot still to produce London Dry gin. The eleven botanicals include juniper at the core, hand-peeled citrus, and a carefully selected wildflower medley foraged from the castle grounds — lavender, marigold, and jasmine being the most prominent garden-sourced ingredients. The 400-year-old walled gardens provide a botanical environment of unusual maturity and diversity.
Tasting
The nose is juniper-led — properly assertive and gin-like — with wafts of meadow florals from the castle garden botanicals. Bright citrus provides freshness, and there is a hint of earthiness that may come from the aged garden soil's influence on the botanicals. It is a nose with genuine sense of place.
On the palate, there is a good balance of core botanicals, with juniper and citrus to the fore. Notes of floral sweetness from the garden botanicals add a romantic dimension, and spice provides warmth. The juniper and botanicals pack a punch — this is a gin that certainly makes its presence felt at 41% ABV.
The finish is aromatic and fresh with floral persistence — the garden botanicals extending the experience with their natural complexity.
How to Drink It
In a G&T with lots of ice and a slice of pink grapefruit — as the distillery recommends. The floral garden character blooms beautifully in a long drink. For a Welsh twist, try it with elderflower tonic and a sprig of lavender from the garden (or any garden).
The Bottom Line
Hensol Castle Welsh Dry Gin earns a 7.5 for combining genuine provenance — a 17th-century castle, 400-year-old walled gardens — with a London Dry gin of real quality. The hand-picked wildflower botanicals add character that cannot be commercially sourced, and the Gold award confirms the liquid backs up the story. At around £35, the castle provenance and the hand-foraged production justify every penny. A gin from a place where history grows in the garden.
