Whitley Neill Connoisseur’s Cut London Dry Gin

Johnny Neill's family had been distilling since 1762 before he returned to the trade and launched Whitley Neill in 2004. This Connoisseur's Cut, distilled at the City of London Distillery, is the higher-strength, citrus-forward expression of the house style, built on a tight classic bill: juniper, coriander, angelica root, liquorice root, orange, lemon and grapefruit, bottled at a bracing 47 per cent.

The nose is intense juniper with floral and herbal lifts. The palate is fresh and citrus-soaked, lemon, orange and grapefruit running clean over the spice, before a long, dry finish. The extra strength makes it a natural partner for tonic: build a gin and tonic with plenty of ice and a wedge of pink grapefruit, or use it to give a Negroni real backbone.