Review: Monkey 47 Distiller’s Cut Gin 2025

Monkey 47‘s annual special edition for 2025 — wherein a 48th ingredient is famously added to the botanical bill — is focused on fleur de sel, salt from Camargue’s pale-pink salt marshes in the south of France. Given the connection between gin and briny olives, it’s a combination that makes immediate sense, unlike some prior renditions which took a little more time to understand.

In Camargue, Monkey 47’s obsessive pursuit of the utmost quality and endless enthusiasm for craftsmanship met fertile ground. To this day, the locals still harvest salt by hand. To collect the Camargue’s ‘white gold,’ seawater is directed through a network of channels and pools to the salt marshes. The wind and sun evaporate 90 percent of the fresh water, leaving behind salt crystals – Fleur de Sel – at the bottom of the marshes. Salt farmers then harvest them using a long-handled skimming tool.

Staying true to Monkey 47’s rich heritage and the constant pursuit of quality, the Distiller’s Cut 2025 bottle is a must-have collectible. The shimmering pale pink and blue label, with its iridescent effect, pays homage to the Camargue’s alluring pink salt marshes and the bright blue skies above. Meanwhile, the bottle’s distinctive bottleneck ring – engraved with the words ‘ex pluribus unum’ (Latin for ‘one out of many’) – is once again gold-coated for the annual limited release. The gift box is made with sustainable FSC paper and patterned with the brand’s unmistakable monkey-designed wallpaper.

Ready to dive in? Let’s get salty.

Monkey 47 Distiller’s Cut Gin 2025 Review

Monkey 47 is commonly rather briny, and the addition of actual salt to the mix only compounds that character. The nose is filled with salinity, though it’s backed up by insistent notes of juniper and cardamom, then lemon peel in roughly that order.

The palate didn’t surprise me with its overt brininess — much like the 2024 edition — but it did with the bold punch of licorice that arrives very quickly after that first sip. Here, Monkey 47’s complexity becomes evident, laden with layers that move into sesame cookies, slightly sweet mint syrup, dried citrus peel, and late-stage vanilla. Some fruitier and surprisingly sweet notes of raspberry and peach, chased by rhubarb, give the gin more late-game complexity, while the finish retreats to a greener, more peppery character, keeping the impression of sugar in check.

Ultimately this expression is every bit as complex as any of Monkey 47’s Distiller’s Cut releases, though it hardly tries to reinvent the wheel with this very complementary additional ingredient.

94 proof.

A- / $80 (375ml) [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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