There's something rather wonderful about holding a piece of distilling history in your hands. Drums London Dry Gin, bottled in the 1970s by Ingham, is exactly that — a time capsule from an era when London Dry meant something unapologetically classic, and gin was built on juniper-forward conviction rather than botanical novelty.
A Window Into 1970s Gin-Making
At 40% ABV, this sits at the standard strength for London Dry gins of the period, a time when distillers weren't chasing cask strength bottlings or headline-grabbing ABVs. What fascinates me about spirits from this decade is the insight they offer into how house styles were constructed. London Dry as a category demands juniper prominence, and distillers of this era tended to lean heavily into that mandate — clean, architectural, no distractions. The Drums name isn't one you see on many back-bars today, which makes this bottling all the more intriguing as a collector's piece and a genuine taste of how the category expressed itself half a century ago.
Why This Matters
Vintage gins like this remind us that the spirit has a deep, serious heritage well beyond the contemporary boom. The craftsmanship of 1970s London Dry production — typically pot-and-column distillation with carefully sourced dried botanicals — laid the groundwork for everything we enjoy today. At a price point of £150, you're paying for provenance and rarity as much as liquid, and that feels about right for a bottle of this age and scarcity. I'd rate this 8.1/10, reflecting its genuine historical significance and the quality standards of the London Dry tradition it represents.
Best Served
If you're brave enough to open it, a classic Martini is the only honest serve — 3:1 with a quality dry vermouth, stirred over ice for a full thirty seconds, strained into a frozen coupette with a lemon twist expressed over the surface. Let the gin do the talking. You owe it that respect.
