Hendricks Grand Cabaret Gin

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43.4% | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Stone fruit and sweet-scented herbs give Hendrick's Grand Cabaret its distinctive character. This limited creation by Master Distiller Lesley Gracie belongs to the Cabinet of Curiosities. It builds on the Hendrick's house style, with eleven distilled botanicals alongside rose and cucumber, adding a pronounced stone-fruit character. The depth of fruit combines with the fresh cucumber note.

Gracie drew inspiration from historical fruit spirits, particularly a stone-fruit eau-de-vie popular at Parisian gatherings in the early 20th century, which was combined with a little gin and the scent of roses. For Grand Cabaret, she experimented with stone fruit in a Hendrick's gin for the first time. Aromatic herbs round out the fruit without displacing the composition's refreshing lightness. The purple label and its chandelier motif evoke the opulent gatherings behind the idea.

The gin is bottled in Scotland at 43.4% in 0.7-litre bottles. As a gin and tonic, it can be served with a slice of cucumber. The Grand Cabaret Royale combines gin, cranberry juice, lime juice and a little sugar syrup, topped with sparkling wine; a cucumber slice also forms part of the garnish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Fresh apricots and sweet peaches lead on the nose, joined by a delicate rose note and a little juniper.
• Palate: Juniper, orange, lemon and peach appear first on the palate. Apricots and rich plum notes then emerge, accompanied by floral and herbal accents.
• Finish: Stone-fruit notes of cherry and apricot linger on the medium-length finish. Delicate elderflower and a mild pepper note complete the aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Hendrick's began with the desire to bring rose and cucumber together in a gin. William Grant & Sons Master Blender David Stewart developed the idea with Lesley Gracie, and the gin was launched in 1999. Two rare stills, acquired by Charles Gordon back in 1966, provided the technical foundation for the original distillery.

Today, Hendrick's is made at the Gin Palace in Girvan on Scotland's Ayrshire coast. Opened in 2018, the facility stands on the grounds of the Girvan Grain Distillery and houses four Bennett stills and two Carter-Head stills across two still houses. An experimental laboratory and two Victorian-style greenhouses give Lesley Gracie space to explore botanicals for future creations. This experimental work also gives rise to the limited editions in the Cabinet of Curiosities.

Facts: