Exeter Gin

Named for Isca Dumnoniorum, the Roman settlement on the Exe, this is a gin built around the botanicals the Romans themselves favoured: tarragon, basil, cardamom, cinnamon and marigold, alongside eleven others. The distilling happens in Teignmouth, in small batches through a traditional copper still, which is the unglamorous work behind a spirit described elsewhere as glossy, richly textured and driven by a deep bass drum of juniper.

Robust yet smooth is the house description, and it holds up across the cocktails they champion: a Gin Basil Mojito made for a sharing jug, the bright blue Sidmouth Blue with orgeat and Blue Curacao, and a properly bittersweet Negroni. Above the distillery sits the Exeter Gin and Granny Garbutt Gin School and Bar, where tours, tastings and gin making experiences can be booked. They also produce bespoke gin, rum and tequila for brands. Book the gin school ahead.