There are certain streets in this world that carry the weight of history in their cobblestones, and Portobello Road is undeniably one of them. Long before the antique dealers and the Saturday crowds, this winding stretch of west London was a place of trade and character — and it is fitting, then, that a gin bearing its name should feel so rooted in the spirit of place.
A London Dry With London in Its Bones
Portobello Road No.171 London Dry Gin sits squarely in the classic tradition. At 42% ABV, it occupies that comfortable middle ground — robust enough to assert itself in a cocktail, gentle enough to sip long on a summer afternoon. This is a gin that does not need to shout. It knows what it is, and it wears its London Dry credentials with quiet confidence.
What strikes me about No.171 is its sense of restraint. In an era when distillers chase ever more exotic botanicals and eye-catching bottles, there is something admirable about a gin that commits to the fundamentals of its category. The juniper-forward backbone you expect from a proper London Dry is present and accounted for, supported by what I can only describe as a well-balanced botanical architecture — nothing dominates, nothing hides.
At around £29, it represents fair value for a gin of genuine character. It may not be the most adventurous bottle on your shelf, but it may well be the one you reach for most often. That dependability, that sense of a gin that has been carefully considered rather than hastily assembled, earns it a deserved 7.8 out of 10 from me.
Best served in a classic G&T with good Indian tonic and a twist of grapefruit peel, perhaps at a corner table in one of Notting Hill's quieter pubs, watching the market traders pack up for the evening.
