First Impressions
Sacred Microdistillery was established in London in 2009 by Ian Hart and Hilary Whitney. Ian created something unique: twelve organically sourced botanicals — including Boswellia sacra, the frankincense from which the gin takes its name — each macerated with English wheat grain spirit, diluted with distilled water, then distilled separately in glassware under vacuum at low temperature. Proponents of vacuum distillation argue that not heating the botanicals creates a brighter, more flavourful spirit. The individual distillates are then blended to create the final gin.
Tasting
Twelve organic botanicals individually vacuum-distilled. The nose is gentle pine-forward juniper with woody frankincense hints and grapefruit zest. On the palate at 43.8%, vivid: each botanical seems to jump out in harmony. Juniper and pink grapefruit at the fore, piney coriander mid-palate, liquorice on the backend. The finish is smooth, rich, and creamy with balanced cardamom and the frankincense providing resinous depth unique among gins.
The Bottom Line
Sacred Organic earns an 8 — a gin where the production method genuinely creates a different result. Individual vacuum distillation at low temperature preserves aromatic compounds that conventional distillation destroys, and the clarity of each botanical in the final blend is remarkable. The frankincense is the signature: a resinous, sacred depth that no other gin offers. Best in a Martini where the clarity rewards attention. At £38, certified organic London craft gin with genuine innovation.
