Bimber Da Hong Pao Gin
Bimber Distillery · Bimber Distillery
Bimber is better known for whisky, but this gin shows the same meticulous approach. The Da Hong Pao oolong tea botanical is not a gimmick — it threads a warm, slightly roasted quality through an otherwise classically structured London Dry. A thinking person's gin that rewards a simple tonic serve.
Nose
Classic juniper pine opens the nose before giving way to warm cassia bark and a distinctive grapefruit citrus note. A subtle floral character — rose petal and violet — weaves through the backdrop, with an earthy orris root foundation.
Palate
The entry is all juniper — resinous and woody — before ginger heat and coriander seed emerge at the mid-palate. The rare Da Hong Pao tea infusion adds an unusual depth, registering as a subtle nutmeg warmth alongside lemon peel brightness.
Finish
Long and clean, with juniper lingering alongside a dry, peppery fade and a final lift of grapefruit.
- Style
- London Dry
- Botanicals
- Juniper, coriander, cassia bark, orris root, angelica, grapefruit peel, lemon peel, Da Hong Pao oolong tea, ginger, nutmeg
- Base Spirit
- Neutral grain spirit
- Distillation
- Pot still distillation with vapor infusion of Da Hong Pao tea leaves
Cocktail Suggestion
Oolong Collins — 2 oz Bimber Da Hong Pao Gin · 1 oz lemon juice · 0.75 oz simple syrup · 2 oz chilled soda water · Build gin, lemon, and syrup in a shaker with ice, shake briefly, strain into a Collins glass over ice, top with soda.
Food Pairing
Tea-smoked duck breast with pickled plum
Bimber Distillery, a tiny London operation founded by Polish-born Dariusz Plazewski, applies old-world grain-to-glass principles to every spirit, including this tea-infused gin distilled in small copper pot stills.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Ron Zacapa Edición Negra
Ron Zacapa
Edición Negra takes Zacapa's high-altitude solera system and pushes it toward heavier charred casks, producing a darker, more brooding rum than its siblings. The result is a spirit that trades some of the Centenario 23's honeyed charm for genuine complexity and a savory edge. Whether you sip it neat or pair it with a robust dessert, this is rum built for contemplation.
Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Michter's
Michter's 10 Year exemplifies the discipline of selecting barrels that can handle a full decade without tipping into over-oaked bitterness. This is bourbon that rewards slow sipping — each minute in the glass unlocks new layers. A benchmark for what extended aging should accomplish in Kentucky whiskey.
Don Pilar Añejo Tequila
Don Pilar
Don Pilar's Añejo delivers genuine agave character that has been shaped, not masked, by eighteen months in oak. This is añejo the way it should be done — the wood serves the spirit, not the other way around. At its price point, it competes well above its weight class, offering depth and balance that many pricier añejos struggle to achieve.
Jensen's Old Tom London Gin
Jensen's
Christian Jensen spent years researching nineteenth-century recipes to reconstruct an authentic Old Tom profile. The result is not a novelty — it is a genuine revival, offering a window into what gin tasted like before London Dry became the dominant style. Essential for anyone building a historically informed Martinez or Tom Collins.
Jensen's Old Tom London Gin
Jensen's
Christian Jensen spent years researching nineteenth-century recipes to reconstruct an authentic Old Tom profile. The result is not a novelty — it is a genuine revival, offering a window into what gin tasted like before London Dry became the dominant style. Essential for anyone building a historically informed Martinez or Tom Collins.
Craft Distillery Koval Dry Gin
Koval
Koval's dry gin is a study in midwestern directness — no gimmicks, no exotic botanicals chasing trends. The organic grain base is clean enough to let the botanicals do their work, and the distillation is precise enough to keep everything in balance. A gin for people who want gin to taste like gin.
Daffy's Gin
Daffy's
Daffy's is the rare gin that achieves intensity without volume. Every botanical is clearly articulated yet none dominates. The tension between the pine-forward juniper and the delicate floral-citrus backdrop makes this an excellent Martini gin that also holds its own in longer serves.
Hepple Gin
Hepple
Hepple's unique triple-technique juniper extraction — combining copper pot distillation, vacuum distillation, and supercritical CO2 extraction — produces a gin where juniper is explored in three dimensions rather than one. It's technically innovative without being gimmicky, delivering a deeply juniper-forward spirit that respects London Dry traditions while pushing them forward. Essential for gin enthusiasts seeking complexity.