🥃 Hendrick's

Hendrick's is a Scottish gin that William Grant & Sons created in 1999 at its distillery in Girvan, in South Ayrshire. What sets it apart is the use of two different stills and the addition of rose and cucumber after the distillates are blended. According to Difford's Guide, the gin is 41.4% ABV and the owner is William Grant & Sons.

History. According to Difford's Guide, Hendrick's was created in Scotland in 1999, reached the US in 2000 and Britain in 2003. The recipe is credited to Lesley Gracie, a master distiller and new-product developer at William Grant & Sons, who was asked to create a premium gin. The dark apothecary bottle that distinguishes the brand is seen on shelves in many countries.

How it is made. The gin is produced in two stills. The Bennett, a copper still from 1860, steeps the botanicals in spirit and distills them, giving a rich distillate. In the Carter-Head, a still from 1948, the botanicals sit in a basket at the top of the neck, and the vapor picks up only the light aromas. The two distillates are blended, and then essences of rose and cucumber are added. The brand names the rose as the Bulgarian Rosa Damascena. Batches are small: the brand mentions 500 liters at a time.

The composition. The eleven botanicals, according to Difford's Guide, are juniper berries, angelica root, coriander seed, cubeb berries, orris root, chamomile, caraway seed, elderflower, meadowsweet, and lemon and orange peel. Other published lists differ slightly, so the producer is the place to find the full composition.

Why this matters to you. Because the essences are added after blending, Hendrick's does not count as London gin, where flavoring after distillation is forbidden. The label says simply gin, category 20 under EU Regulation 2019/787, from 37.5% ABV. In some markets the strength differs, for example 44%, so check the figure. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.