There are gins that announce themselves quietly, and then there are those that arrive like a sun-drenched afternoon in a London garden. Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin belongs firmly to the latter camp — a spirit that takes the classic London Dry framework and threads it through with the bright, irresistible character of lemon, evoking that most beloved of British bakes.
A London Dry With Citrus Ambition
Sipsmith has long been a name synonymous with the revival of craft distilling in the capital, and with Lemon Drizzle they've taken a familiar concept — citrus-forward gin — and executed it with a restraint that speaks to their pedigree. At 40.4% ABV, it sits at a comfortable strength that lets the botanical character breathe without overwhelming the palate. This is a London Dry at heart, which means the juniper backbone is present and correct, but the lemon influence is clearly the star of the production.
What I admire about this category of gin is the tightrope it walks. Push the citrus too far and you lose the soul of the spirit; hold it back too much and the promise of the name rings hollow. At £28.50, Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle positions itself as an accessible entry point into flavoured London Dry territory — not quite an everyday pour, but far from extravagant. It's the kind of bottle that earns its place on a summer drinks trolley and rarely outstays its welcome.
I'd score this a confident 7.3 out of 10 — a well-crafted, crowd-pleasing gin that delivers precisely what it promises, even if it doesn't quite reach for the extraordinary.
Best served long with a premium tonic, a generous wheel of fresh lemon, and a sprig of thyme — ideally on a slow Sunday afternoon with the garden door thrown open and nowhere particular to be.
