ORCHARD

Sylva's maturation lab sits in the Colne Valley on the Suffolk border, and Orchard is the bottle that best explains what the place is for. It is built from British fruit wood, meaning cherry from Sylva's own wild trees, plum out of Welsh orchards and apple from Worcestershire, worked together with pale malt barley from a regenerative English variety grown for Muntons in Suffolk. Small batches, and a distillation and maturation process that maker Ben Branson developed himself and describes as a world first. The nose is ripe cherry and stewed plum with apple peel, soft smoke, toasted malt and a distinct Bakewell tart note. The palate moves through stone fruit, velvety malt, caramel and honeyed warmth, with marzipan and smoke threaded through it. The finish runs long and dark berried. Serve it over ice, lengthen it with soda, or build it into an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. 50cl, under 0.5% ABV.