Hendrick’s Neptunia Gin
Photos via Hendricks, William Grant & Sons
Hendrick’s Gin was one of the OGs when it came to the still-evolving modern push to expand the spirit’s boundaries from a relatively constrained wheelhouse of flavors. It’s still not that long ago that practically every gin on the shelf contained the same familiar handful of botanicals, but with a twist of cucumber and rose petals, Hendrick’s cast those preconceptions to the wind, kicking off a new era of experimentation. Today, the core Hendrick’s product seems quite traditional in comparison with some of the truly funky gins at the forefront of the revolution, but it remains a dependable balance between tradition and novelty. And at the same time, the larger Hendrick’s brand continues its own experimental releases, conceived and shepherded to completion by Master Distiller Lesley Gracie in the palatial splendor of the brand’s impressive Gin Palace, which houses multiple experimental gardens for the cultivation of botanicals.
These releases are dubbed as being from Gracie’s own “Cabinet of Curiosities,” and have included such experiments as the extra floral, perfumey Midsummer Solstice, or the quinine-infused Orbium. The latest, however, just hitting U.S. shelves now is Neptunia, a coastal-inspired gin that “combines Hendrick’s signature base with an additional blend of locally sourced coastal plants and a crunchy citrus finish.”
Hendrick’s doesn’t go into a great deal of detail on the provenance of most of those coastal botanicals, although they apparently include the likes of sea kelp, coastal thyme and lime, in addition to the other citrus components already present in Hendrick’s. The resulting gin is bottled at 43.4% ABV (86.8 proof), with an MSRP around $40 or so.
So with that said, let’s get to tasting and see how the Neptunia manages to capture the alluring mysteries of the sea.