Empress 1908 Original Dry Gin

This is the gin that started Empress 1908 — and until May 2026 you couldn't buy it in the United States. Victoria Distillers in Sidney, British Columbia, one of Canada's oldest artisan distilleries, built this recipe first, years before the color-changing Indigo made the brand famous; it was one of Canada's earliest premium gins, sold only at home while the indigo bottle conquered America. Its US debut on May 12, 2026 finally brought the foundation over. It pours crystal clear, and it's built from ten botanicals: juniper, lemon peel, and orange peel in familiar London Dry proportion, joined by star anise and sarsaparilla, which give it a rooty, licorice-tinged depth no other Empress has. Distilled in small-batch copper pot stills with pure Canadian water by Master Distiller Phil Lecours, who calls it a true reflection of the house's approach. Drinkhacker found the nose big and bold — London Dry character on steroids — with strong piney juniper and bright lemon pith first, then licorice and eucalyptus, and an equally assertive palate of lemon and orange pith, light pine, and the anise-sarsaparilla licorice note mid-palate, finishing long. Tasting Table called it a gin that shouldn't take a back seat to its indigo sibling, and suggested starting neat. It's the most versatile Empress: a proper Martini, an elevated G&T, a Negroni, or the brand's Fan Tan Sidecar. Full-bodied, contemporary, and finally here.

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