r[h]eingin Handcrafted Dry Gin Wien Edition

The idea for r[h]eingin was sketched out by Tim Lamm and Johannes Weigl beneath Düsseldorf's castle tower, and the bottles still bear that spot's coordinates. Launched in 2017 by the city's WeiLa company and distilled at the historic Bovenkerck distillery in Hamminkeln, working since 1750, it takes a deliberately purist path. Where most gins reach for a dozen botanicals or more, this one uses only different varieties of juniper berry over a multi-filtered, malt-rich alcohol. This Wien edition, made with artist Jacques Tilly, dresses each hand-labelled, individually numbered bottle in illustrations of Vienna landmarks from the State Opera to St Stephen's Cathedral.

The nose is fresh, lightly floral and unmistakably piney. The palate follows suit, clean and juniper-pure with a delicate floral edge and no distracting clutter, drying out long and crisp. Made for a stripped-back gin and tonic with little more than a twist of lemon.