The Dorset Gin Company

Made on a smallholding overlooking the Purbeck Ridge, this is gin with its working conditions on show. Solar panels on site power the operation, which is carbon neutral from fermentation through to the finished bottle, and the distilling starts with their own ferment rather than bought-in spirit. It is a fairly unusual level of control for a small producer, and it is the reason the ingredients get talked about before anything else.

Two gins come out of it: Purbeck Gin at 40% and Ammonite Gin at 44%. The botanicals are organic - juniper, coriander, fenugreek, angelica root, cardamom, orris root and vanilla pod - and the result is smooth enough to hold its own in a gin and tonic while standing up properly in cocktails. If you are choosing between the two, let the strength decide: Purbeck for long drinks, Ammonite where you want more backbone.