Making the entire process more challenging was the fact that Australia's borders were closed and the collaborative process would need to happen digitally over many months of back and forth spirit sampling.

First we needed inspiration, what were the flavours we were going to highlight in the gin, what would set the tone?

The martini ritual was the first thing that struck us. The actual flavour of the serve differs depending on your spirit choice, or garnish or even where you are drinking, however the existence of ritual is the one constant.

After conversations with Lorenzo and the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong in-house tea sommelier, tea proved to be the ingredient that not only proved to be the most diverse in flavour and profile but also deeply connected to the Chinese way of life.

We chose tea as as a key botanical because the rituals associated with tea-brewing and service are similarly revered as the martini. These flavours have been a part of Chinese history for thousands of years, what better flavour to communicate a modern twist on the revered classic.

It was our Head Distiller, Tim Boast who was tasked with sourcing appropriate flavours and layering them into a cohesive, balanced composition. 

"Several different styles of Chinese tea were chosen as key botanical components of the ARGO gin," Tim says. "These included Shou Mei, Oolong and Fu Ding, which were steeped and each individually distilled capturing the unique character of each variation."

Using our Triple Juniper process to amplify base notes of juniper and coriander seed, the resulting gin was first matured in a locally sourced ex-Chardonnay barrel that was rapidly seasoned with Mancino Secco vermouth under vacuum. This process ensured penetration into the wood that would usually take years and removed the usually oxidised components that would overpower the subtle character of the distilled teas in the final blend. 

The gin base was matured only for a short period, with several fills being used in the final composition. This ensured that the aromatics of the gin were not dominated by the oak character. 

The individual distilled tea components were then b lended into the matured spirit, their various flavour profiles working well with the soft vanilla and subtle tannin. 

White tea was also used as a dilutive element, capturing a brewed component of the tea. The tea was first filtered to remove colour and tannin and used to bring down the gin to the correct alcoholic strength adding further unique flavour. 

"It is without doubt the most complex and innovative gin that we have made to date," says Tim. "It truly embodies our focus on creating gins with flavour front of mind."