Empress 1908 Original Gin
42.5% ABV (85 proof) | 750mL | 8 botanicals | Copper pot distilled | Victoria, British Columbia — the Empress 1908 Original Gin is the indigo-blue gin from Victoria Distillers: eight botanicals — including the signature Empress tea blend and butterfly pea blossom — copper-pot distilled on a corn base. Pour it over tonic or add citrus and watch the indigo turn pink and violet. A Fairmont Empress Hotel collaboration launched in 2017 — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Empress 1908 was created with Victoria's landmark Fairmont Empress Hotel and named for the year the hotel opened. The butterfly pea blossom is a natural pH indicator: the spirit pours a deep indigo and shifts to soft pink with lemon or tonic — chemistry as theater. Beneath the color is a serious gin: juniper-forward with rose petal, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root and cinnamon bark, distilled in small batches in copper pot stills. Among gins, it is the rare bottle that performs as well as it pours.
Tasting notes
Official brand notes: juniper and citrus up front, floral rose and the signature tea blend through the middle, with warm spice (ginger, cinnamon) on the finish. The butterfly pea adds color, not flavor — the gin itself is balanced and classic-leaning at 42.5% ABV, gluten-free from the corn base. Serve with tonic and a grapefruit twist to watch the color change.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- Indigo-to-pink color change — butterfly pea blossom reacts to citrus and tonic
- 42.5% ABV, 8 botanicals, copper pot distilled, gluten-free
- Fairmont Empress Hotel collaboration; Victoria, BC craft distilling
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Empress & tonic with grapefruit or lemon — the color shift is the show. Also excellent in a French 75 or a citrus-forward Tom Collins.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Empress 1908 blue?
Butterfly pea blossom, a natural botanical that tints the gin indigo. Add citrus or tonic (acid) and it shifts to pink/violet — a natural pH reaction, no artificial color.
What is the alcohol content?
42.5% ABV / 85 proof in the US. (A 40% variant exists in some markets — the US bottle is 42.5%; the label on file reads 42.5% ALC/VOL.)
Who makes it?
Victoria Distillers in Sidney/Victoria, British Columbia, in collaboration with the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Launched 2017.