Advent Gin, on day 21: Hapusa Himalayan Dry Gin, which sounds like a gimmick. We will see; Hapusa follows a series of gins with strong regional identities (Kenya, Japan, Italy), some of which worked out better than others. First sip: juniper, but it’s overshadowed by a piney flavour that I can’t attribute to any of the declared ingredients. (I guess that it may come from the Himalayan juniper?) Ongoing sips: there’s a definite different character to the central flavour, around which flit interesting citrus notes, earthy notes, and a low-profile lingering spicy herbal coriander finish. Hapusa Himalayan certainly brings more to the glass than just an exotic gimmick. It’s growing on me as I nurse the glass; I can easily see it as a reserved-for-special-guests-or-occasions, back-of-the-shelf bottle. I’ve been pleased and impressed by more of the Advent Gins than I expected. Well done, distillers! I’d relish the chance to revisit many of these with a view to refining my assessment of them (but that’s not in the cards). I can conclude, though, that the proliferation of craft gin distillers over the past fifteen or so years reflects real variety and quality in the market. I won’t say ‘You can’t go wrong’ — but the Advent calendar suggests that there are a great many very good and interesting options abroad, which should be a wonderful bounty for gin drinkers.

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