Empress 1908 Original Indigo Gin 750ml

Launched in 2017, Empress 1908 Gin was born from a genuinely specific piece of hospitality history — the tea and cocktail programs of the legendary Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria Distillers, based nearby in Sidney, built the entire gin around the hotel's own house tea blend, a bespoke mix of Assam, Kenya, South India, Ceylon, and China teas created exclusively by the Metropolitan Tea Company — one of the finest blends in the world, at once floral, fruity, and oaky. But it was a second discovery, buried within one of the hotel's other bespoke tea blends, that gave this gin its defining signature: butterfly pea blossom, an exotic herb that lends the finished spirit a distinctive earthy note and, more famously, its genuinely striking natural indigo color.

The full botanical lineup runs eight strong: the Empress's own house tea, juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, and butterfly pea blossom, all handcrafted in small-batch copper pot stills. The color story is the gin's most immediately recognizable feature — a deep, genuine indigo that transforms into soft pink, lavender, or fuchsia the instant it meets citrus or tonic water, a straightforward pH reaction that turns any G&T into a genuine visual moment. The gin has collected real recognition since its launch: a Gold Medal at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition (2017), Best Alcohol Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards (2017), a Judge's Selection at the Alberta Beverage Awards, and a Silver Medal at the 2019 NY International Spirits Competition.

Independent reviewers land in genuinely different places on this one, and both perspectives are worth knowing. Drinkhacker's updated 2026 review found it "quite bright and fresh with a balanced, airy sweetness that lingers on the gently peppered finish with hints of clove and lemon zest," adding "almost no need for the citrus in this G&T." The Gin is In's more critical, independent take found the gin "more classic in character than the color suggests," with "big bold juniper and heady citrus" making up most of the aroma, but noted "hints of a plastic medical aroma" and "a touch of ethanol" that made the nose "a bit more raw," concluding that "despite the lack of refinement around the edges, blind tasters might not think this gin was bright purple." Either way, this remains a genuinely fun, visually striking gin built specifically for cocktail creativity — a natural fit for a classic G&T, an unusual Martini, or an Aviation where the indigo color stands in beautifully for crème de violette without that liqueur's sometimes-heavy floral character.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Empress 1908 Original Indigo Gin was launched in 2017 by Victoria Distillers, based in Sidney, near Victoria, British Columbia, and inspired directly by the tea and cocktail programs of the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel. The gin is handcrafted in small-batch copper pot stills, using eight signature botanicals: the Fairmont Empress's own house tea blend — a bespoke selection of Assam, Kenya, South India, Ceylon, and China teas created exclusively by the Metropolitan Tea Company — alongside juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, and butterfly pea blossom.

The butterfly pea blossom was discovered by Victoria Distillers within another of the Empress Hotel's own bespoke tea blends, and it serves a genuine dual purpose in the finished gin: contributing a distinctive warm, herbal earthiness that balances the gin's traditional citrus notes, while also giving the spirit its natural, deep indigo color. That color shifts dramatically — to bright lavender, soft pink, or fuchsia — the moment the gin is mixed with citrus juice or tonic water, a natural pH-driven reaction rather than any artificial effect. Bottled at 42.5% ABV / 85 proof.

Critics Reviews

Gold Medal — New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, 2017

Best Alcohol Drink — World Beverage Innovation Awards, 2017

Judge's Selection — Alberta Beverage Awards

Silver Medal — 2019 NY International Spirits Competition

Drinkhacker (extended independent review, updated 2026):
"It's all quite bright and fresh with a balanced, airy sweetness that lingers on the gently peppered finish with hints of clove and lemon zest. Almost no need for the citrus in this G&T. Other more elaborate cocktail possibilities abound."

The Gin is In (extended independent review):
"Empress 1908 Gin is more classic in character than the color suggests. Big bold juniper and heady citrus make up the majority of its aroma. Though hints of a plastic medical aroma, a touch of ethanol make the nose a bit more raw. Despite the lack of refinement around the edges, blind tasters might not think this gin was bright purple. The palate has a hint of rose early."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Bold juniper and heady citrus lead, with grapefruit peel and lemon providing bright freshness. Some tasting finds a distinctly earthy, warm quality from the butterfly pea blossom, alongside subtle floral rose.

Palate
Smooth and balanced, with juniper, grapefruit, and coriander carrying through, joined by an airy sweetness and subtle floral notes from butterfly pea blossom and rose. Cinnamon and ginger add gentle warmth beneath the citrus-forward core.

Finish
Long and elegant, with a gently peppered close carrying hints of clove and lemon zest. Refreshing and lingering, with a lasting botanical complexity.

Quick Overview

Cocktail Suggestions

Classic Gin & Tonic
2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin · premium tonic water — watch the color shift from deep indigo to soft pink in real time.

Empress Martini
2.5 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin · dry vermouth to taste · lemon twist — a genuinely striking blue martini.

Aviation Variation
Use Empress 1908 in place of crème de violette for a naturally colored, less heavily floral take on the classic Aviation.