The Times newspaper has today launched a new premium London Dry Gin, called The Times London Dry Gin.

Made in very small batches to a unique recipe, this is the newspaper’s first foray into an exclusive own-label drinks offering, backed by News UK. It coincides with a revival in gin as the drink of choice, with a growing awareness of the importance of high-quality ingredients and craft distillation.

Manufactured in partnership with Master of Malt based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the 70cl bottle will retail at £34.95; however a special launch price of £29.95 is on offer on News UK's timeswhiskyclub.com ahead of the festive season. UK mainland orders made before 3pm on Monday 23 December 2013 are guaranteed to be delivered before Christmas Day.

The botanicals used in the base of The Times London Dry Gin are: Juniper, Coriander, Orris Root, Liquorice Root, Angelica, Cassia Bark, Cinnamon, Dried Lemon Peel and Dried Orange Peel. Then, a cold-distilled mixture of fresh zests are added - Lemon, Orange, Lime and, more unusually for gin, White and Pink Grapefruit, Clementine and Pomelo. The volume of citrus peels used at the cold distillation phase is high and lends the gin its distinctively sweet citrus flavour.

The bottle itself is a stylish addition to the Christmas cocktail cabinet, with each individually-numbered label created by The Times’ designers, featuring the royal crest, along with The Times lion resting on juniper branches. The reverse label quotes John Walter, the Founder and Proprietor of The Times, who said: “A newspaper is like a well-covered table, it should contain something suited to every palate.”

The bottle stopper is made from solid wood and natural cork and is wax-dipped, with the Times 'T' stamped on the top.

John Witherow, Editor of The Times, said: “This is the first time we have done this; the gin is a fantastic blend with a unique taste and it’s available through our wonderful Whisky Club.”

The Times London Dry gin is produced through a combination of pot-still and cold-vacuum production and is a fine example of craft distillation. Gin is traditionally made in pot-stills, by distilling spirit with flavouring botanicals to extract the aromatic compounds.

The manufacturers of The Times London Dry take a portion of the base spirit used in the gin’s manufacture, then cold-vacuum distil it with the fresh citrus peels. The cold-vacuum distillation is an unusual and more laborious production method, with the vacuum allowing the distillation to occur at a much lower temperature than in the copper pot-stills, helping to retain the freshness and vibrancy of the citrus peel and giving an enhanced flavour to this premium gin.