Hendrick’s Gin targets bartenders with new ‘absinthe’ at 48% ABV

William Grant & Sons’ owned gin label Hendrick’s is selling a “re-imagined” absinthe bottled at 48% ABV.

The star anise flavoured spirit has been crafted by Hendrick’s master distiller Lesley Gracie at the gin brand’s headquarters in Girvan, Scotland.

“Absinthe has this incredibly rich history steeped in mystery and was for many years feared but it really shouldn’t be, it is such an amazing liquid,” Gracie said, adding that the spirit is “really a cousin to gin, in that it is a botanically flavoured spirit, just with a different palette of botanicals to play with.”

“It conjures up images of the strange and the surreal and so is perfectly at home in our playground at the Hendrick’s Gin Palace.”

The spirit is flavoured wormwood and star anise, traditional components of absinthe, but also includes Hendrick’s signature rose and cucumber botanicals.

It is also bottled at 48% ABV, making it considerably weaker than a typical modern-day absinthe.

Traditionally, the spirit was bottled at anywhere between 45% and 74% ABV, although some modern expressions can come in at 90% ABV.

There are 4,000 bottles of Hendrick’s first batch of absinthe available exclusively to the UK on trade.

Hendrick’s absinthe is also colourless, which the brand said should make it a more versatile base for cocktails.

Ally Martin, global brand ambassador for Hendrick’s, said the gin brand owes some of its success “to the openness, creativity and imagination of the world’s best bartenders.

“Hendrick’s Absinthe is our way of giving this spirited group something new to play with that has the same quality credentials and inventiveness they have come to expect from Hendrick’s.”

“We’ve reimagined absinthe as an incredibly complex, unique and interesting spirit.”