No.3 London Dry Gin bears the distinction of having won ‘World’s Best Gin’ four times at the International Spirits Challenge, as well as being the first gin to be crowned ‘Supreme Champion Spirit’ in 2019.
Its creator is a centuries-old name in the business: Berry Bros & Rudd, the renowned wine and spirits merchants based in London. In 2008, following a two-year development period and consultation with distillers, mixologists, and one Dr David Clutton—the only person in the world who can claim to have a PhD in gin—No.3 was born. Three was the key: a nod, perhaps, to the brand’s long-time headquarters at No 3, St James Street, but certainly because of its focus on the keen balance of juniper, citrus and spice. Six botanicals are involved in its production, and it is distilled in a 100-year-old brick-enclosed copper pot still in Holland. Bottled at 46 per cent ABV, it combines a bright and crisp nose with a warm, spicy and floral palate balanced with generous citrus, and fades dry and earthy. It was designed to perform, whether in tonic, martini or negroni.
On the back of its awards momentum, No.3 is going through something of a facelift. It recently debuted a new bottle design: a more contemporary, lighter and modern take of green glass with three large facets—three is the key, after all—and three smaller ones as a nod to the total of six botanicals. Speaking of a key, one is unmissably embedded in the bottle. This calling card was inspired by a famous locked room at the Berry Bros & Rudd headquarters.
No.3 was relaunched in Malaysia at a laid-back affair taking place on the swimming pool deck of W Kuala Lumpur. A wall of giant keys led guests into the gin’s story, and each were given one to try their luck at opening a locked room; winners would walk away with a bottle of No.3. The locked room had a façade that resembled the Berry Bros & Rudd building—a slice of London that lent atmosphere and spoke of the gin’s origins.
