Shortcross Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin
From: Shortcross Gin
Created in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces, Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin is a special limited-edition release celebrating the botanical character of Hillsborough Castle and Rademon Estate in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Crafted over the spring and summer of 2026, this distinctive expression brings together rose petals from the Queen Elizabeth II Granville Rose Garden, apples and pears handpicked from the gardens of Hillsborough Castle, and botanicals freshly foraged at Rademon Estate.
The result is a gin with a story rooted in place, combining the beauty and heritage of historic gardens with the craft of contemporary Irish distilling.
This collaboration brings together the botanical resources of Hillsborough Castle and Rademon Estate in a limited-edition gin that celebrates the character of both locations.
Botanical Story
The gin’s distinctive botanical story centres on three key elements:
- Rose petals from the Queen Elizabeth II Granville Rose Garden, bringing a connection to the castle’s celebrated gardens.
- Apples and pears handpicked from the gardens of Hillsborough Castle, adding an orchard-inspired dimension.
- Foraged botanicals gathered at Rademon Estate, connecting the gin to the distillery’s own landscape.
Together, these ingredients reflect the natural diversity and heritage of two remarkable County Down estates.
Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin celebrates the connection between landscape, heritage and distilling. By bringing together flowers and fruit from the castle gardens with botanicals gathered at Rademon Estate, Shortcross has created a limited-edition expression that tells the story of two neighbouring landscapes through gin.
| ABV: | 40% |
|---|---|
| Nose: | Floral rose aromas, accompanied by fresh orchard fruit and delicate botanical notes. |
| Palate: | A balance of fragrant floral character and crisp apple and pear, with an underlying complexity from the estate-foraged botanicals. |
| Finish: | Fresh and gently floral, with lingering orchard-fruit character and botanical depth. |
| Serve: | a Martini with a restrained garnish, allowing the gin’s distinctive botanical story to shine. |
| shortcrossgin.com | |
| @shortcrossgin |
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Botanicals used in Shortcross Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin
Further information
Shortcross Gin
At Rademon Estate Distillery they are proud to be Northern Ireland’s First Award Winning Craft Distillery. Their small batch philosophy ensures that every aspect of their gin meets their exacting Read more
Rademon Estate Distillery
In establishing Rademon Estate Distillery, Fiona & David Boyd-Armstrong created Northern Ireland’s first Craft Distillery. The inspiration came from Fiona’s passion to rekindle the lost art of distilling in Northern Ireland. Shortcross Gin takes it’s name from their local village, Crossgar. In Gaelic or Irish, Crossgar means the “Short Cross”, so they are proud to have their village name on Read more
Fiona Boyd-Armstrong, Rademon Estate
The Rademon Estate is one of Ireland’s oldest and, thanks to husband and wife team David and Fiona Boyd-Armstrong, it is now the home of Shortcross Gin. We talk to Fiona about their exciting journey. What made you set up your own distillery? “I had always wanted to open a distillery at my family home, Rademon Estate, but when I Read more
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News featuring Shortcross Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin
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Rademon Estate Distillery, home of Shortcross Gin has been named one of the three finalists in the Drinks Producer of the Year category at the BBC Food & Farming Awards 2026. The recognition celebrates the distillery’s work producing handcrafted gin…READ MORE
Shortcross Unveils 2026 Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin
A new collaboration celebrates the gardens and botanical heritage of two County Down estates. Gin Guild member Shortcross, from Rademon Estate Distillery in County Down, Northern Ireland, has unveiled its Hillsborough Castle Royal Botanical Gin - 2026 Release, created in…READ MORE

