Hendrick’s Neptunia Gin

About Hendrick’s Neptunia Gin

Born in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his family’s income. As a teenager, Grant apprenticed as a cobbler and a clerk, and in 1866, he joined Mortlach Distillery as a bookkeeper. For the next two decades, Grant managed the affairs at the distillery, while secretly learning the art of distillation. In 1886, he resigned from his position as distillery manager and, together with his seven sons, two daughters, and one sporadically working stonemason, built his family distillery in Scotland.

Over a century later, Charles Gordon, Grant’s great-grandson and successor at William Grant & Sons, purchased two unusual and incredibly rare stills at auction — a Carter-Head Still (constructed in 1948, there are only a few in the entire world) and a dusty 19th-century Bennett. Although he didn’t find a use for these stills initially, more than twenty years later he enlisted the help of master distiller and Gin scientist Lesley Gracie to assist in his quest to create something extraordinary from the stills. Finally, in 1999, Gordon and Gracie found the perfect combination and launched Hendrick’s Gin.

Hendrick’s Gin is made in small batches of 500-liters or less, with both the Bennett and Carter-Head stills working their magic on Hendrick’s unique mix of botanicals, which include yarrow, elderflower, juniper, angelica root, orange peel, caraway, coriander, chamomile, cubeb berry, orris root, and lemon. After distillation, Hendrick’s Gin is infused with Bulgarian Rosa Damascena and specially selected cucumbers — an odd combination that produces miraculous results.

Hendrick’s Neptunia Gin is a limited-release expression that takes its inspiration from the sea and coastal air. Naturally, this means that the spirit is infused with a blend of locally-sourced coastal botanicals such as coastal thyme and lime. Together with rose, cucumber, and 11 other plants, this elevates the signature Hendrick’s base with crisp citrusy notes, coastal herbs, and depth of flavor from the sea botanicals. Most of my creations are based on memories – I play around with botanicals and combine them to recreate certain sensations. Hendrick’s NEPTUNIA for me is that freeing feeling of the sea bottled in a gin,” says Master Distiller Lesley Gracie. The gin is bottled at 86.8 proof.

Get your bottle of this coastal gin today!

About Gin

According to Winston Churchill, “The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives and minds than all the doctors in the Empire,” referring to the British officers using it to treat malaria in India.

Initially made for medicinal purposes, gin gets most of its flavor from the juniper berries added after the distillation process. It sure has come a long way from the Middle Ages, with the introduction of new botanicals, fruits, and spices, bringing it closer to people of all flavor varieties.