Gin: Hendrick’s

Chances are, if you drink gin, you know of Hendrick’s. It’s dark brown olde world apothecary style bottles are a standard feature in most high end bars nowadays and it’s become the premium gin of choice for many. But does it deserve the hype?

The first thing to note about Hendrick’s is that it is not a London Dry Gin in the legal sense – it’s two most prominent botanical flavours are added after distillation, therefore it can only be called a “distilled gin”.

Sipped neat, Hendrick’s is easy on the juniper and very “rosy” and floral. There isn’t any harshness or spiciness and it’s quite drinkable. The aroma is also, unsurprisingly, floral.

The real test as always however, is part of a G&T. Hendrick’s suggest adding a slice of cucumber as opposed to citrus which I did, but only after trying it first without (with FT tonic). I can’t honestly say there was a huge cucumber presence, it is definitely the (Bulgarian) rose that is stronger and I’d be surprised if everyday drinkers (who might not be frequent “Ginners”, so to speak) could detect it if they didn’t know it was there. Adding a slice of cucumber does make for a pleasant G&T but not enough for me to switch away from citrus on a permanent basis. A second cocktail, this time with Schweppes tonic made for a slightly different experience as there was a slightly more prominent cucumber note - perhaps the subtly of Hendrick’s isn’t quite suitable for marrying up with Fever Tree tonic.

Hendrick’s seems to be a brand aimed at those who aren’t especially fond of London Dry Gin. It lacks a heavy juniper hit and whilst it’s floral notes are easily palatable, it isn’t a hard enough drink for me to want to be drinking it all night long. For all it’s gimmicky publicity (a gin that is now standard in Wetherspoon’s is hardly one that is “loved by a tiny handful of people”), it does make a refreshing cocktail and is a perfectly suitable gin to have in your cupboard. Though as I've said, the cucumber isn't my favourite note of all time, it is great if you fancy a change.

On a side note, I would be interested to know if you’ve been to Wetherspoon’s for a Hendrick’s and Tonic. A friend of mine ordered that very cocktail in a central London branch of the pub and was served it with the cucumber diced. Suffice to say, it really did have somewhat overpowering notes of cucumber, but for the wrong reason.

If you don’t especially like (or haven’t really tried) gin before, then perhaps you should give Hendrick’s a whirl. Although I would make this initial experience in a pub (£24.50 on a bottle isn’t cheap if it turns out you can’t stand the stuff) and make sure the cucumber is sliced.