Warner's Juniper Double Dry Botanical Garden Spirits

Well, the dry spell lasted 35 days until I had a nice lunch at a vineyard while on holiday. The goal was January, so mission accomplished! Over the 35 days, this drop was one of two zero-alcohol 'gins' that I imported and kept me and my tonic bottles company. After some trouble with the forwarders and paying more in shipping than the bottle itself, I managed to get this one. I went to the effort because I had heard good things and, most importantly, Warners had a reputable gin distilling background. They did an interview with the distiller which was very interesting. He mentioned they wanted to use natural ingredients found on their farm – they got to 90% completion – and used a water distillation process plus a couple of other extraction steps, including vegetable glycerin. They have to use far more botanicals than an alcoholic version because alcohol is a much more effective flavor extractor. However, they already used the water distillation method partly for alcoholic drinks, so they had a head start technique-wise. It took them 3 years to refine. Interestingly, issues like shelf life and how long it lasts once opened came up, as below ~18% ABV, you no longer have alcohol as an effective inhibitor. They used citric acid, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate to achieve this. Still, once opened, it only lasts for 3 months. They use their own spring water, plus botanicals including lemon thyme, lemon verbena, raspberries, blackcurrant sage, and lavender, and interestingly, myrrh and wormwood (I noticed no hallucinatory effects:-)). I'm also assuming Juniper, given it's in the name! Now, in terms of taste, it is very herbal. Not my usual preference when I'm looking for gin flavors, but with the help of my wife, I drank the bottle in a month! She liked it. I definitely grew to appreciate it (mixed with tonic), however, it's not gin in terms of flavor, mouthfeel, etc., but then again, they don't call it that. Would I buy it again? The price is very fair at £18 for all the natural botanicals and effort, but I ended up paying closer to £60 by the time I got it here, so value for money... I wouldn't be rushing out to get it even if available in NZ, however, my wife would definitely go for another round. It's hard to score as it's a quality product and well-made, just flavor-wise, it's not really in my wheelhouse, so to speak. I'm giving this a 3.75, I think. Now, this isn't equivalent to a 3.75 rating for an alcoholic gin, but in terms of a zero-alcohol drink. Definitely give it a try if you can get it for around the £18 mark.