Christian Drouin Le Gin Carmina

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 42% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

In Carmina, Christian Drouin combines Normandy cider apples and juniper with red berries and flowers. Raspberry and blackcurrant shape its aromatic character, while elderflower, vanilla, orange and lemon complete the recipe. Guillaume Drouin developed it as a fruit-forward variation on the original Le Gin.

The botanicals are each macerated separately and redistilled, allowing the extraction of aromas to be tailored to each ingredient. Only then are the distillates blended together. Distillation takes place in small copper stills. This limited bottling comprises 8,550 bottles and is offered at 42% alcohol in a 0.7-litre bottle.

The dark green bottle bears a red seal and carmine design elements that echo its berry character. The name Carmina comes from Latin and means poems. The gin can be enjoyed neat or in a gin and tonic with a slice of lemon and a raspberry.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The expressive nose combines fruity, floral and spicy impressions.
• Palate: On the palate, the interplay of fruit, flowers and spice continues with pronounced freshness.
• Finish: Spicy and peppery notes remain on the lingering finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The history of the family house Christian Drouin began in 1960 with the purchase of the Fiefs Sainte-Anne farm estate near Honfleur. Together with distiller Pierre Pivet, Christian Drouin senior initially built up stocks of maturing Calvados. His son joined the business in 1969, and sales began in 1979. In the early 1990s, production moved to a 17th-century farm in Coudray-Rabut near Pont-l'Évêque.

Guillaume Drouin joined in 2004, bringing the third generation into the business. An agricultural engineer and oenologist, he also applied the house's expertise in blending aromatic distillates to gin. Since the introduction of Le Gin in 2015, this product family has complemented the house's Calvados production. Carmina continues this approach with a recipe centred on berries and flowers.

Facts: