Christian Drouin Le Gin Pira de Christian Drouin - 70cl/42%

Distillery History:
Christian Drouin is known for Pays d’Auge Calvados, family-run at Pont-l’Évêque under Guillaume Drouin. The first Le Gin, in 2015, was built on more than thirty apple varieties. Pira shifts the focus to perry pear, keeping the house method: each plant steeped and distilled alone, assembled only before bottling. It won World’s Best Signature Botanical Gin at the World Gin Awards.

Gin Introduction:
Pira points to pear. The recipe uses Domfront perry pears from the Domfrontais with only juniper, vanilla, lemon, black pepper and orris—the iris that grows on Norman thatch—kept spare so the subtle fruit is not buried. Pear trees often line apple orchards as windbreaks and can live three centuries. Versus the original apple gin, this is white fruit, pepper and iris. Neat or with tonic; garnish with a thin pear slice or elderflower.

Tasting Notes:
Nosing: Juniper, vanilla and pear, with spice.
Palate: Rounded and lightly sweet—white pear, pepper and orris.
Finish: Juniper and pear together.