With the craft gin world about 1000x as big as it was a decade ago, it’s easy to forget how important Hendrick’s was in sparking the gin movement that launched a classic cocktail revival around the world.

Made by the William Grant company in Scotland (Glenfiddich, Balvenie, etc.) and master distiller Leslie Gracie, many of us (me included) tend to lump Hendrick’s into the big brand gin category, instead of the world class craft gin genre that it spearheaded all those years ago.

Knowing this to be the case, I believe Hendrick’s takes extreme pleasure in dropping a sublime limited edition release every now and again, just to remind us who’s truly the vanguard of the gin world. As if to say: Did you forget who started this whole thing?

The new Neptunia gin from the Cabinet of Curiosities is an exquisite, deeply beautiful, and delicately complex gin that uses coastal botanicals from Scotland’s Ayreshire Coast to create a maritime profile with a haunting salinity that dances lithely over the palate, finishing with a touch of citrus and pepper. The texture of the gin itself is soft and creamy, making it an easy choice for a straight Martini, but boy does it play well with tonic water, too. No matter how you mix it, you’re going to be reminded of the sea.

You’re going to want a bottle of this. Maybe two.

Hendrick’s Neptunia Gin $38.99

-David Driscoll