How does one follow up two of the most popular batches of gin ever sold in the history of K&L? It’s been tough coming up with that act. Even my own mother was trying to exert her parental influence, hoping to convince Dave Smith and I to do a second batch of Batch #2 — our lovely smoked citrus peel delight. We held fast, however, determined to make each batch of Faultline a one-time-only edition in the name of soldiering forward towards new flavors and new ideas. We originally began the blueprint of Batch #3 with melon in mind. We wanted to make a softer, rounder, fruitier style of gin, but two things happened that prevented this approach: our melon distillates left a lot to be desired and Tanqueray resurrected their similarly-styled Malacca gin. Dave and I went back to the drawing board. Both of us have been trying to create a grapefruit aperitif for the past year so we had a well of grapefruit spirit to take from. Dave had also finished a batch of clove-macerated spirit that might pair quite well with the citrus. A few gin-soaked nights later we had the right balance – lots of grapefruit, highlighted with the bright, herbaceous note of fresh clove and accented with pepper and juniper. It’s still gin and tonic season in the Bay Area, so this should take us through October. Try mixing a Greyhound or Corpse Reviver #2 as well. It’s more grapefruit eau de vie, than gin. You’ll be pleased