There are gins that announce themselves with fanfare, and there are those that arrive quietly, like a story waiting to be told. Hibernation Gin belongs to the latter camp — a London Dry bottled at a confident 45% ABV that suggests its makers understand the value of restraint paired with substance.
A London Dry With Something to Say
The name alone is evocative. Hibernation speaks to dormancy, to the slowalchemy of winter, to botanicals gathered and held in suspension before being coaxed into something luminous. At 45%, this sits comfortably above the minimum strength for a London Dry, and that extra proof tells me the distillers wanted their botanical bill to carry through with clarity rather than fade into politeness.
What strikes me about Hibernation is its commitment to the London Dry tradition — a style that demands juniper-forward integrity while leaving room for supporting players to have their moment. The category itself is one of the most disciplined in spirits, requiring that all flavours be introduced during distillation rather than added after the fact. It is a style I have always admired for its honesty.
At £43.75, Hibernation positions itself in the mid-premium bracket, and at this price point I expect craftsmanship and character in equal measure. The 45% ABV delivers precisely the kind of backbone that holds its own in a mixed drink without bulldozing the subtleties that make a gin worth sipping slowly.
This is a gin that earns its 7.9 out of 10 — solid, composed, and quietly assured. It does not try to reinvent the wheel, and that is rather the point.
Best Served
On a cold evening drawing to a close, poured long over good ice with a premium Indian tonic and a generous twist of grapefruit peel — the kind of drink that makes you pull your chair a little closer to the fire.
