The team at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens have hand-selected home grown botanicals to create their own bespoke gin. Working with experts from Shortcross, Northern Ireland’s first craft gin distillery, 400 limited edition bottles of the special Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Shortcross edition can be snapped up via www.historicroyalpalaces.com for £40.

The botanical gin features rose petals hand-picked from the Castle’s Granville Rose Garden which is named after its creator, Lady Rose Bowes-Lyon – aunt to Her Majesty The Queen and wife of the Earl of Granville, the second Governor of Northern Ireland.

The elegant garden's climbing, rambling and hybrid tea roses have been blended with apples and pears foraged from Hillsborough’s recently restored eighteenth century Walled Garden to create the gin's signature taste.

Laura McCorry, Head of Hillsborough Castle, said: "Like the Castle itself, gin is something of a Georgian success story, so it seems particularly fitting that both seem to be enjoying a renaissance in the 21st century!".

At 100 acres, the Hillsborough estate has provided centuries of inspiration for everyone from politicians to presidents as well as local and international visitors. Its gardens include ornamental grounds, peaceful woodland, meandering waterways and picturesque glens, all of which have been encapsulated in the gin’s unique flavour. 

So, even if you are unable to visit this beautiful expanse, you can always enjoy a taste of Hillsborough wherever you are. What a treat.