Portobello Road Distillery has teamed up with Queen guitarist Brian May to launch a special-edition gin.
Red Special Gin (rsp: £39/70cl) is described as “clean, dry and refreshing”, combining “classic juniper with warming liquorice root, aromatic sage and bright calamansi orange” for a “vibrant citrus finish”, according to Portobello Road Distillery.
It will launch DTC via Portobello Road Distillery’s webstore on 8 October.
The NPD differed from “conventional celebrity-endorsed spirits”, claimed the distillery. Rather than simply lending his name to the product, May was “instrumental in bringing the gin to life from the ground up”, it said.
May worked with the distillery to develop a recipe using his favourite botanicals, including aromatic sage and calamansi orange, which he grows in his home greenhouse.
The gin comes in a “vintage-inspired” bottle and features a sixpence set into the lid, in a nod to May, who famously used the coin as a guitar pick.
The bottles are also sequentially numbered, making each one a “unique piece of the collaboration”. May will have 000001, while Portobello Road Distillery will keep 000002.
“I’ll be proud to see this new collaboration out there,” said May.
”I completely relate to the very British homespun ethos of Portobello, and their attention to detail, making this a very high-quality product.”
Gemma Gilbert, marketing director at Portobello Road Distillery, added: “Working with Sir Brian May on Red Special Gin has been a real joy.
”What makes this collaboration so special is that it’s rooted in a shared passion for craftsmanship, creativity and doing things differently.”
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