Jin Jiji Darjeeling India Dry Gin

Jin Jiji Darjeeling India Dry Gin is made at the Darjeeling distillery in the Himalayan foothills using a botanical bill anchored by first flush Darjeeling tea — one of the world's most prized and terroir-specific teas. The gin takes its name from the Nepali and Tibetan word for grandmother, a nod to the generations of knowledge that underpin both the region's tea gardens and the distillery's own ethos. The botanical recipe centers the muscatel character of that early-season tea and backs it with juniper, cardamom, ginger, coriander, and Himalayan herbs sourced from the surrounding landscape. The distillery sits in the mist-shrouded foothills of the Himalayas, where Darjeeling's cool altitude and monsoon rains produce tea with a delicate floral intensity impossible to replicate elsewhere. Jin Jiji draws on that specificity of place, building the gin around the first flush harvest — the spring picking that yields the lightest, most perfumed leaves. The base is Indian grain spirit, and the botanical blend is unapologetically rooted in its surroundings, with local spices and herbs joining the juniper to create a gin that straddles classic structure and regional identity. The nose lifts with an extraordinary delicacy — muscatel grape and white flower notes from the tea rise above fresh juniper, lemon zest, and warm spice. On the palate it is silky and refined, the tea character carrying through beautifully with bright citrus, gentle cardamom, and ginger warmth. The finish is long, floral, and gently spiced, fading with a whisper of Himalayan terroir. Serve it in a simple G&T with a strip of lemon peel to let the tea shine, or sip it neat and cold to appreciate the full muscatel complexity. It pairs gracefully with smoked fish, soft cheeses, or lighter Indian fare — anything that doesn't overwhelm the floral precision. In stock at Off Premise in Lincoln Park.