Equipo Navazos La Bota 87 Gin, Bota NO

Equipo Navazos La Bota 87 is a cask-aged gin matured in an old Fino butt in Jerez.

This was the second gin in the series, following La Bota 81. Distilled in 2014 in a London Dry style, it is built on juniper, angelica and coriander with a run of citrus botanicals over the top: lemon peel, sweet orange and bitter orange. That much is ordinary enough. What makes it unusual is the almost five years it then spent in a single old sherry butt in Jerez de la Frontera, one that had previously matured Fino. It was bottled in 2018 at cask strength, 42.5 per cent, and the butt was very nearly emptied to do it.

The cask has taken it somewhere between gin and Manzanilla Pasada: floral aromatics, candied tangerine and green melon, a supple textured palate, and an iodine twist on the finish. Sip it neat and cool, in a small glass. Mixing it would be a waste.