Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin (700 ml)

Whitley Neill, founded in 2005 by Johnny Neill — a fourth-generation distiller — built its flavoured gin range around single-origin botanicals macerated directly into a neutral grain spirit base before redistillation. The Blood Orange expression uses Sicilian blood oranges, chosen for their anthocyanin-rich pith and intensely bitter zest oil, which survive the maceration process with more structural grip than sweeter navel varieties.

Production follows a cold maceration of fresh blood orange peel prior to pot-still distillation, preserving volatile citrus esters that heat alone would drive off. The resulting distillate is blended to 43% ABV and is not chill-filtered, retaining the natural oils responsible for the characteristic haze when served over ice. Juniper remains the backbone, with the blood orange acting as a dominant secondary botanical rather than a masking sweetener.

What separates this from category peers is the use of whole fresh peel rather than dried or essence, delivering a bitter-pith register alongside the fruit — a profile closer to an Italian amaro's citrus character than a standard flavoured gin. Drink over large ice with tonic or in a Negroni variation where the bitter orange note bridges gin and Campari.