Daffy's Gin
Daffy's · Strathleven Distillery
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.
Nose
Bright juniper pine opens with immediate citrus lift—fresh lemon and grapefruit pith. Beneath, a quiet floral note of crushed violet and a dry, earthy angelica root provide depth without weight.
Palate
Clean and taut. The juniper is assertive but never aggressive, held in check by a silky coriander warmth and a burst of citrus that keeps the palate lifted. A subtle peppery spice builds mid-palate, adding structure to the otherwise ethereal spirit.
Finish
Crisp and dry with lingering juniper, a whisper of violet, and clean lemon zest.
- Style
- Contemporary London Dry
- Botanicals
- Lebanese mint, juniper, coriander, angelica root, cassia bark, citrus peels, and other undisclosed botanicals
- Base Spirit
- Grain neutral spirit
- Distillation
- Double distilled in small copper pot stills with separate botanical distillation
Cocktail Suggestion
The Tightrope — 2 oz Daffy's Gin · 1 oz dry vermouth · 0.25 oz Suze · 1 dash orange bitters · Stir over ice, strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass, garnish with a lemon twist.
Food Pairing
Smoked trout blini with crème fraîche and dill
Founded by a husband-and-wife team at Strathleven Distillery in Scotland's West Dunbartonshire, Daffy's uses a unique two-still process—distilling botanicals separately before blending—to achieve clarity and balance in each small batch.
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.
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.
Tanqueray Bloomsbury London Dry Gin
Tanqueray
A limited revival of an archival Tanqueray recipe that predates the modern London Dry style. Bloomsbury dials up the juniper and botanical complexity while keeping the trademark Tanqueray structure. It's an education in what London Dry can be at its most articulate.