Knut Hansen Dry Gin (Gift Box)

Knut Hansen Dry Gin is made in a family-run German manufactory and named for a seafarer whose love of freedom and thirst for adventure the makers claim runs through the spirit's DNA. Fourteen locally grown botanicals are distilled by hand, with notes of juniper, basil, cucumber and the regional Altländer apple combining into a fresh, distinctly northern whole. Each limited stoneware bottle carries the sailor's weathered face.

The nose is mild and floral, juniper threaded with cucumber, basil and green herbs over a fruity lift. The palate turns peppery and spicy with a light apple sweetness, before a long, smooth finish. Build a gin and tonic with a neutral tonic and a ribbon of cucumber, letting the basil and apple come through clean.