A textbook London Dry Gin that wears it's English pride as openly as the foppishly outfitted Yeoman guards that give it it's name, Beefeater helped define what we think of as the London dry gin style. Nine botanicals (juniper, lemon, coriander, almond, Seville orange, orris, licorice, and angelica root and seed) are macerated for 24 hours before distillation, just as in the original mid-19th century recipe.
Recently reformulated to 88 proof in place of the 94 it was previously so well loved at in America, this is a bit softer and less textured than the previous bottling, though it remains a classic and a major juniper bomb (we'll note that we're happy to have either over the 80 proof bottling the rest of the world gets). On the tongue, Beefeater brings strong pine-forward juniper notes and a touch of light citrus zest. The citrus is more in the fore in this lower proof version, with soft orange zest particularly sitting alongside the juniper as a major player. Slightly earthy on the finish, with subtle hints of the liquorice and medicinal roots.
