Most of us gin lovers are familiar with the classic black-and-white apothecary style bottle that is the Hendrick’s Gin. It's a staple workhorse that pairs well with most tonics in a G&T. Yet, for the more adventurous (or perhaps curious?) G&T explorers, you’d be pleased to learn of the Hendrick’s Cabinet of Curiosities line, which offers yet another rabbit hole of exploration that any gin fan would be happy to go down. 

Basically, the Hendrick’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a collection of limited-release experimental gins created at the Hendrick’s innovation lab, also called the Gin Palace, run by Master Distiller Lesley Gracie. The first release began with Midsummer Solstice in 2019, a “flirtatiously floral incarnation” of Hendrick’s designed for day-casions. This bottle winded up becoming the third bestselling super premium gin globally within a year of its release. While Midsummer Solstice doesn’t technically bear the name of “Cabinet of Curiosities” on its label, the success of an experimental gin bottling of its kind no doubt inspired the brand’s continued enthusiasm for growing the Cabinet of Curiosities line.

The Hendrick's Gin Palace (Image Source: Hendrick's)

Four years later, we’ve seen the 2021 release of Lunar, inspired by plants and flowers that bloom in the night, “devised under the waxing crescent”. In addition, the 2022 release of Neptunia – inspired by the glory of the sea and incorporating coastal botanicals.

(Image source: Hendrick's)

And finally, this year, Hendrick’s Flora Adora joins as the latest addition to the Cabinet of Curiosities series. As the name hints at, Flora Adora is designed to evoke memories of “enticing floral bouquet” or a garden in spring time, inspired as it is by Gracie’s love for gardening. 

It begins – like all the other Cabinet of Curiosity bottlings - with the classic Hendrick’s gin base. Gracie selects the appropriate additional botanicals to be layered on top of the mother sauce, which then create new flavor variations on Hendrick’s house style. To my knowledge, the additional botanicals added for Flora Adora have not been disclosed. Whatever was added, however, it is said to infuse lush herbality and sweet floral characteristics to the gin.

You’ve got to hand it to Hendrick’s because all the bottlings from the series thus far featured some seriously gorgeous labelling. It’s perhaps for this reason that on a recent trip to Nutmeg & Clove in Singapore, my eye couldn’t help but be drawn to the Flora Adora bottle sitting pretty in pink on the shelf. Naturally, I had to try it for myself!

Colour: Crystal clear.

 

Nose: On the first sniff, you get a strong scent of juniper and coriander. It's very clean and sharp, I get detect hints of cucumber. To be honest, I was a little disappointed by my initial nosing of this gin, but patience here is key. Upon subsequent nosings, the aroma started to open up, and some fragrant notes of rosewater started wafting up, with a sweetness that reminded me of Turkish Delight.

Palate: This gin really does hits your palette like a bouquet of roses. There's a strong note of rosewater that I picked up in the nose, but underlying it is a creaminess to it, akin to an iced bandung, which is a highly popular and aromatic rose syrup drink in Singapore and Malaysia. There's also a light sprinkling of lavender and hints of earl grey black tea. 

 

Finish: The finish is medium and here the rose flavor recedes, with the lavender notes and black tea taking fore. I detect a strong vanilla, buttery note on the finish, and i'm reminded of earl grey vanilla cupcakes!