Sacred Gin

Sacred Gin is a delicious, award-winning London gin made by Ian Hart in the microdistillery at his home in Highgate, north London. It is the first and smallest commercial distillery of its kind and has quickly built up a loyal and enthusiastic following. Not only was Sacred Gin the overall winner of its Ginmasters 2009 competition category but when in a recent blind tasting of 20 super premium gins from around the world, Sacred Gin was placed in the top three, alongside Tanqueray 10 and Hendricks.

What makes Sacred Gin unique is that all of the botanicals, including fresh cut citrus, are distilled separately in glassware under vacuum at a very low temperature, thus eliminating the harsh marmalady and bitter flavours so prevalent in gins distilled at higher temperatures. This freshness is key to the distinctive character of Sacred Gin which can - unusually - be enjoyed straight. It also makes an excellent martini, not to mention the more traditional G&T.

There are currently several gins on the market which have been created under contract, with entrants simply paying a distillery to create a 'new' gin - which is why many of them taste so similar. By contrast, Hart painstakingly developed his own recipe and selects and distils all the botanicals himself, including Boswellia Sacra – otherwise known as Hougary Frankincense – from which the name is derived.

Sacred Gin is currently available at over 50 outlets including Dukes Bar in St.James, Gerry's Wines & Spirits, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and Fortnum and Mason.

For more information, visit www.sacredgin.com.