Sipsmith London Dry Gin 1 L 44.1%

Sipsmith began in a small Hammersmith garage in 2009, the first copper pot still licensed in London in nearly two centuries, and helped spark the capital's gin revival. The London Dry recipe is deliberately classical: a base spirit of English barley and a tight selection of just ten botanicals, distilled by hand in small batches. There is no clever gimmick here, only a benchmark made very well.

The nose is floral and bright with summer fruits, juniper and citrus. The palate is properly dry, juniper berries leading into lemon tart and a sweeter note of orange marmalade, before a long finish of spiced juniper and a final flick of lemon. It is the textbook gin and tonic, lemon wedge and a good Indian tonic, and an equally reliable backbone for a Dry Martini.