A Klein blue, well-chiselled bottle with a silver arc for cap representing the water and sun in the Mediterranean is the centre of attraction at the Vault Festival held in the city earlier this month. The bottle holds a unique gin, 44° N, for which the makers have ditched traditional copper pots. Instead, it is distilled in a perfumery-turned-distillery Compte de Grasse on the French Riveira, the world’s fragrance capital.

Founder Bhagath Reddy, whose earlier stints involved luxury fashion retail and brand management, takes us through a tasting. The gin uses two types of junipers—traditional and Cade, local to the Mediterranean, as well as 22 botanicals including alexanders, orris, rose from Cote de Provenance, coriander, jasmine, grapefruit. At 44 per cent ABV, we get a floral bouquet of rose and jasmine. On the palate, a fruity tartness of lemon and grapefruit followed by spicier,  musky notes. Throughout, a floral comfort lingers. The finish is long and flavourful.