Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin

Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin shines brightest when served over ice or in a light, refreshing highball during warm spring and summer months, though it's equally at home in a classic gin and tonic or citrus-forward cocktail year-round, pairing beautifully with fresh salads, light seafood dishes, and — true to its afternoon tea roots — delicate finger sandwiches and lemon-glazed pastries.

Nose: Fresh cucumber leads the way, clean and bright without being sharp. Lemon peel follows closely, adding a zesty citrus lift that smells more like the fruit's skin than its juice — fragrant and slightly waxy. Underneath, jasmine adds a soft floral note, and a whisper of cardamom brings just enough warmth to keep things interesting.

Palate: The cucumber carries through from the nose, crisp and cool. Lemon peel delivers a bold citrus punch, balanced by a rounder, juicier quality from orange peel. Juniper is present but restrained — this isn't a piney, resinous gin. Cardamom adds a subtle spiced warmth that weaves through the citrus and floral notes, giving the gin more complexity than its light, refreshing character might suggest upfront.

Finish: Clean and relatively dry, with the cucumber and lemon fading slowly. The cardamom lingers longest, leaving a faint, pleasant warmth. Jasmine resurfaces gently at the end, keeping the finish soft rather than sharp. Overall, it's a finish that's short to medium in length and refreshing rather than weighty.

Victoria Distillers' Master Distiller carefully selects and blends eight botanicals — juniper, lemon peel, garden cucumber, jasmine, cardamom, orange peel, and more — drawing inspiration from the flavors of a classic afternoon tea to craft Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin, the latest addition to their award-winning Empress 1908 Gin lineup.

• Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin takes its name from the legendary Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia — one of Canada's most storied grand railway hotels, where elaborate afternoon tea service has been a cherished tradition since 1908. The gin's botanical lineup, including jasmine, cucumber, and cardamom, was directly inspired by the flavors swirling around those iconic tea tables, making every sip a nod to over a century of refined hospitality.
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• That fresh cucumber note you taste isn't a simple flavoring — cucumber is a notoriously tricky botanical to work with in distillation because its delicate, watery freshness can easily get lost under heat. Getting it to survive the distillation process while still tasting like an actual garden cucumber (and not disappearing entirely or turning vegetal) is a genuine craft challenge, which is why so few gins pull it off convincingly.
• Cardamom, one of the eight botanicals in this gin, is actually the world's third most expensive spice by weight, trailing only saffron and vanilla. It's prized in everything from Scandinavian pastries to Indian chai, and here it quietly does double duty — warming up the citrus brightness from the lemon and orange peels while giving the jasmine florals just enough backbone to keep the whole flavor profile from tipping into something too sweet or perfume-like.