Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin
Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin is a 42% Cornish gin of fragrant elderflower, bright citrus and juniper, distilled from Cornish wheat near Porthleven for a smooth, softly floral finish.
Type
Country
Producer
Featured Flavours
Alcohol %
42%
Serving Size
- 25ml
Suggested with
In Cocktails
Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin opens with a fragrant, inviting nose of freshly picked elderflower and hedgerow blossom, carried on a clean breath of juniper. Bright notes of lemon peel lift the aroma, while a gentle herbal freshness hints at the classic botanicals beneath. It is the scent of a Cornish lane in early summer, soft and floral without ever becoming heavy or perfumed.
On the palate, Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin is smooth and beautifully balanced. The elderflower arrives naturally and lightly honeyed rather than sugary, letting the gin’s character shine through. Juniper provides a firm, piney backbone, while touches of citrus zest keep every sip fresh and lively. The Cornish wheat base gives a rounded, silky texture that carries the flavours evenly across the tongue.
As Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin opens up, quieter layers come forward. Warm hints of coriander and soft spice add depth, and the floral notes take on a subtle fruitiness reminiscent of ripe pear and white grape. The 42% strength brings presence and warmth without harshness, giving the gin structure that lets the elderflower linger rather than fade.
The finish is crisp, elegant and gently floral. Juniper and lemon return to clean the palate, leaving a lingering trace of elderflower blossom and a light, refreshing dryness. Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin is a graceful, well-crafted Cornish gin that rewards slow sipping and showcases the delicate side of Cornwall’s countryside.
Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin comes from Saint Sithney Distillery, founded in 2023 by Wendy and Greville Richards in the small parish of Sithney, just inland from the coastal village of Porthleven in West Cornwall. Their ambition was simple: to create a gin distilled in their own parish that would stand out from the crowd. The first bottles of the original Saint Sithney Cornish Gin were released in December 2023, and the brand quickly earned a place on the drinks lists of well-known hotels and restaurants across the South West.
The name honours Saint Sithney, one of a band of Irish missionaries said to have come to Cornwall in the early centuries of Christianity. Local legend tells that he was asked to become the patron saint of women seeking husbands, but declined, fearing he would never get any rest, and became the patron saint of mad dogs instead. The parish itself is steeped in history, its landscape dotted with old mine workings, some dating back to Tudor times, the most famous being Great Wheal Fortune.
Saint Sithney Elderflower Gin was launched in 2026 as part of the distillery’s expanded “rainbow” range, presented in a distinctive green bottle alongside the Summer Fruit and Rhubarb gins. Elderflower is a fitting choice, as it grows wild in Cornish hedgerows and is among the botanicals the Richards family plan to cultivate on their own land as part of a new distillery and visitor centre in Sithney.
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Place and memory are inherently interlinked throughout the cornish landscape. At Sithney, the ancient and the modern meld in the present, creating links to the past and a grounding in place and identity.
Named after Saint Sithney who came to Cornwall as one of a band of Irish missionaries. Legend states that God asked Sithney to be the patron saint of women seeking husbands, but Sithney retorted that he would never get any rest and so instead became the patron saint of mad dogs!
History is entrenched in every aspect of Sithney, even below the ground as the landscape is peppered with mines, some of which go back as far as Tudor times- the most renowned being the Great Wheal Fortune mine. Many generations of Cornishmen toiled in these pits, producing copper, zinc, arsenic, tungsten and tin. It is said that in the 1950s, a lone minor was seen to be working in the burrows, taking two sacks of Wolfram daily to the nearby village of Camborne to sell. And so, the wheel of fortune turns and, like the rotations of the hands of a clock, time has brought a new spirit of creativity and pride to the small parish – Saint Sithney Distilling co.
