Combier Meridor London Dry Gin, Infused with the Memory of the Loire
In Saumur, within France’s Loire Valley, the doors of Distillerie Combier—founded in 1834—open to reveal a 19th-century distillation hall of iron and copper. This space was designed by the engineering team of Gustave Eiffel, the same mind behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In 1876, aboard a ship bound for the Philadelphia World’s Fair, James Combier—then head of the house—crossed paths with Eiffel. From that encounter came the still room, where ten alembics stand at its heart: eight 500-liter copper pot stills made by Egrot in 1848, and two larger 1,000-liter stills from 1901. More than a century on, they remain quietly in operation. It is here that the London Dry Gin known today as Gin Meridor is born.
From an 1834 House to the Path of Gin
The story of Combier begins with a confectioner, Jean-Baptiste Combier, and his wife Joséphine, who distilled sun-dried orange peels arriving via the port of Nantes in a small alembic at the back of their shop. A crystal-clear orange liqueur emerged—one that would evolve into what is considered the world’s first triple sec. In 1852, the founder was imprisoned as a political detainee under Napoleon III, where he met Dr. Raspail, a chemist and botanist. Together, they created the herbal liqueur Élixir Combier. In adversity, an enduring devotion to aroma was etched into the very backbone of the house.
In 1966, the esteemed Bollinger family of Champagne took over the distillery. Then in 2001, its director at the time, Franck Choisne, acquired full ownership and assumed leadership. He is also the figure who spearheaded the six-year legal effort to revive absinthe production in France—banned since 1915—successfully lifting the ban in 2004. Drawing on the botanical distillation expertise honed through absinthe’s revival, he spent over two years in research before releasing Meridor as the first London Dry Gin from the Loire Valley.
Eight Botanicals, Distilled Once in a Single Still
Meridor’s aromatic philosophy stands in clear contrast to a modern craft trend: using dozens of botanicals, distilling them separately, then blending them afterward. Instead, it gathers eight botanicals—including classics like juniper berries and coriander seeds, alongside handpicked rose petals and elderflowers from the Loire—and charges them all at once into a 19th-century Egrot copper pot still. They are distilled together a single time, in a traditional method known as single distillation.
This philosophy of restraint yields a rounded aromatic core, where floral notes of differing volatility intertwine at the molecular level with deeper base tones inside the still. The result preserves the structure of classic cocktails like the dry martini and negroni, while brushing them with a touch of French elegance—crafted with professionals in mind. With a limited production of about 360 bottles per batch and a strict zero grams per liter of sugar, these choices safeguard the precision of its composition.
The Name Méridor: A Noblewoman of Dumas
“Meridor” takes its name from Françoise de Maridor, a 16th-century noblewoman who lived near the Loire in the Château de Montsoreau. While her historical surname is Maridor, Alexandre Dumas rendered it as Méridor in his 1846 novel La Dame de Monsoreau, portraying her as Diane de Méridor—a figure of grace and refinement. Choisne describes the fragrance of Loire-harvested roses and elderflowers as a translation of that nobility into “liquid art.” Terroir, literature, and distillation technique converge within a single bottle.
98 Points at the IWSC in 2025
In 2025, Meridor was awarded Gold Outstanding (98/100) in the Contemporary Gin category at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). It was a distinction granted to only a select few that year. The judging panel—including Desmond Payne MBE, former master distiller of Beefeater—praised it in a blind tasting as “light and fragrant, with vibrant juniper and citrus. Rich and bold on the palate, layered with delicate spice and a hint of bitter bergamot, finishing long and warm. A truly refined gin.” Alongside Combier’s 2016 designation as an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company), it stands as a quiet testament to the distillery’s enduring stature.
The heritage of a house founded in 1834—refined over nearly two centuries in the same place—finds a modern expression in this single bottle. Within a glass of Meridor poured in Bangkok resides the essence of the Loire’s handpicked flowers, the history of an iron-and-copper still room engineered by Eiffel’s team, and the grace of a noblewoman immortalized by Dumas. (Mr. Bacchus)
This article is intended solely to explore the distillation techniques and cultural heritage of Distillerie Combier and the Gin Meridor brand, and does not aim to promote or encourage the consumption of alcohol. / บทความนี้จัดทำขึ้นเพื่อนำเสนอข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับเทคนิคการกลั่นและมรดกทางวัฒนธรรมของ Distillerie Combier และแบรนด์ Gin Meridor เท่านั้น มิได้มีเจตนาเพื่อส่งเสริมหรือโฆษณาเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ สำหรับผู้มีอายุ 20 ปีขึ้นไป โปรดดื่มอย่างรับผิดชอบ