ESP Smoked Gin

“We’re willing to bet that most people love gin; they just don’t know it yet,” says Jake Sawabini, founder and master distiller of Empire Spirits Project. With more than a decade of experience in fine dining, including tenure at the iconic WD-50 on Clinton Street in New York City, Sawabini wanted to bring the experimental attitude he learned in the kitchen into the wine and spirits arena. “While I love the classic London Dry Gin, there are probably enough people making it already,” says Sawabini. And so the idea for Empire Spirits Project was born.

Three years and hundreds of recipes later, Sawabini has finally perfected his own, unique breed of gin. Empire Spirits Project’s mission is to show that there can be more to gin than just juniper; Sawabini executes on this idea by pairing different botanicals to create novel flavor profiles in his ESP Gins. 

Tasting Notes

ESP Smoked Gin matches notes of juniper with an innovative, intense applewood smoke that appears on the nose as well as throughout the body. Paired with notes of caraway seeds and ground peppercorn on the palate, this gin has a memorable finish that is unlike anything else on the market. 

Proof 84 (42% ABV)