There are corners of England where the land meets the sea with such dramatic force that you can taste the salt on the wind before you even uncork a bottle. Tarquin's Cornish Dry Gin belongs to that landscape — a London Dry style spirit bottled at a gentle 42% ABV that carries with it the unmistakable sense of place that has made Cornwall one of the most exciting gin-producing regions in the country.
A Cornish Spirit Through and Through
Tarquin's has become something of a standard-bearer for the new wave of British craft distilling, and this Cornish Dry expression is the bottle that started it all. As a London Dry, it follows the traditional rules — juniper-led, with botanicals added during distillation rather than after — but there is nothing formulaic about what emerges. The style suggests a gin rooted in classical structure yet shaped by the character of its coastal origins, the kind of spirit that feels equally at home in a refined Martini or a long pour with tonic on a Cornish clifftop.
At 42%, it sits at a measured strength that prioritises balance and drinkability over brute botanical intensity. This is a gin that invites you to linger, to sip slowly and let the layers reveal themselves. It is well-crafted and confident without shouting, a quality I have always admired in spirits that know exactly what they are.
I would score Tarquin's Cornish Dry at 7.3 out of 10 — a solid, reliable gin with genuine regional character. It may not reinvent the category, but it represents its corner of England with charm and integrity.
Best served on a late afternoon overlooking the Atlantic, long with a premium tonic, plenty of ice, and a sprig of fresh thyme picked from a hedgerow.
