First Impressions
Rives has been distilling in El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, since 1880 — founded by Don Augusto Haupold, a German consul in Malaga with a vision for Spanish spirits. In 1976, they built a modern distillery in El Palmar de Santa María equipped with 30-metre column stills and, crucially, two 100-year-old John Dore copper pot stills used exclusively for botanical distillation. A reverse osmosis water treatment plant completes the operation. This is serious infrastructure for serious gin.
Tasting
Eleven botanicals triple-distilled: juniper, coriander, lemon and bitter orange peel, angelica root, cassia, liquorice, grains of paradise, almonds, and orris root. The nose is clean and lightly complex — subtle juniper with citrus brightness. On the palate, perfect balance between alcohol and botanical nuance: grains of paradise provide gentle heat, citrus is bright, juniper is authoritative. The finish is where Rives distinguishes itself — fresh, personal, with an abundance of toasted almonds. Gold at the IWSC 2010, Best in Class at San Francisco 2011 and 2013.
The Bottom Line
Rives Special earns a 7 — a gin with 145 years of heritage and century-old John Dore stills that most craft distilleries would trade their entire operations for. The toasted almond finish is genuinely distinctive and makes this a natural Negroni gin where the nuttiness plays beautifully with vermouth. At £35, you are buying access to equipment and expertise that simply cannot be replicated. Spain's quiet giant.
