Cornish Pastis, Southwestern Distillery (42%)

The utter genius of Tarquin’s Cornish Pastis (beyond the fabulous name) is that it is a gloriously classic Pastis. When making Pastis on a miniscule scale, in an achingly cute little copper pot still on the north coast of Cornwall, it might have been all-too-tempting to swerve wildly off-piste and create something emphatically unusual, merely for the sake of doing so. Instead, this has all the traditional star anise, fennel and liquorice notes that would be expected of this iconic drink, but, when combined with subtle wisps of gorse flower and citrus peel, the ensemble is elevated to the very highest strata of quality. The wickedly moreish finish tempts and teases with a delicate sweetness which makes having only one glass nigh-on impossible. Best enjoyed, at least in my garden, with two parts ice-cold water to one part Pastis but, as always, dilutive beauty is very much in the eye (and palate) of the beholder.
Robert Whitehead - Spirits Buyer