Hayman's London Dry Gin

Hayman's London Dry is made by the family that helped invent modern gin. In 1863 James Burrough bought a small Chelsea distillery and created Beefeater; five generations later his great-great-grandson Christopher Hayman — who joined the business in 1969 and is one of the most experienced distillers in the world — runs Hayman's with his children James and Miranda at the family's purpose-built distillery in Balham, South London, on stills named Marjorie and Karin after his mother and wife. This is the benchmark of the range, distilled to a 150-year-old family recipe by what the family calls the two-day process: ten botanicals — juniper, coriander, lemon and orange peel, angelica root, cinnamon, cassia, orris, licorice, and nutmeg — steeped a full 24 hours in English wheat spirit, then slowly distilled in copper pot stills the next day. The US bottling is 47% ABV (94 proof), the strength serious London Dry used to be before most big brands watered down. Expect a clean, classic nose of crisp, piney juniper with a bright citrus lift and gentle coriander spice, opening into a dry, balanced, unfussy palate where the juniper leads, the citrus keeps it lively, and the licorice and nutmeg round the edges, finishing crisp and long. The Gin Guild calls it a true English London Dry, unlike most available today. Honest note: it's a classic, not a showpiece — which is exactly why it makes such a good Martini, G&T, or Negroni. Gin as the people who invented it still make it.

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