The Art of Ultra-Rare Craft: In Conversation with Will Phillips

When fine spirits intersect with high-art craftsmanship and serious conservation, the result is rarely as breathtaking as Snow Leopard Gin. Conceived by chef, restaurateur, and lifelong wildlife philanthropist Will Phillips, this extraordinary release is strictly limited to just 200 bottles worldwide. Priced at £2,850 each, it represents a bold new frontier in liquid luxury, where high-clarity crystalline glassmaking meets hand-sculpted art and hyper-seasonal Himalayan botanicals. We caught up with Will to discuss the vision behind this ultra-rare release.

LP: Will, Snow Leopard Gin stands at the intersection of haute spirits, fine art, and high-impact conservation. What was the founding philosophy behind this project?

Will Phillips: The ambition was to create a spirit that existed as much as a work of fine art as an exceptional drink. I have always believed that luxury should carry genuine purpose. The snow leopard is one of the most elusive, majestic creatures on earth, navigating the high, silent reaches of the Himalayas, and its existence is under grave threat. I wanted to build a project where every single detail, from the liquid inside to the glass itself, reflected the rarefied nature of the animal, while delivering a direct, meaningful impact to protect it.

LP: Many ultra-luxury products speak about philanthropy, but you have embedded a substantial direct contribution into each bottle. How is this structured?

Will Phillips: Philanthropy is the cornerstone of the entire release. Out of the £2,850 price point for each bottle, £500 goes directly to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. That money funds crucial boots-on-the-ground efforts to fight wildlife crime and safeguard endangered big cats in their natural habitats. With only 200 bottles ever being produced, the collective impact of this single edition is immense.

LP: Your personal passion for wildlife protection goes back much further than this release. Where did that dedication originate?

Will Phillips: It started when I was five years old, watching Virginia McKenna in Born Free. That single film sparked a lifelong obsession with the natural world. Over the years, her tirelessly brave campaigning and the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough became my guiding lights. Prior to Snow Leopard Gin, I hosted book and art auctions for the Born Free Foundation. Conservation is the continuous thread running through my entire life, whether running kitchens or creating bespoke spirits.

LP: Speaking of your background, your fascination with gin began long before the current craft renaissance, didn't it?

Will Phillips: Indeed. I started experimenting with distilling and blending botanicals in my own kitchen when I was just 18. As my career as a chef and restaurateur developed, gin became my ultimate personal canvas for flavour profiling.Following a previous limited release created to raise funds for clouded leopard conservation, I decided it was time to push the concept to its absolute zenith, combining my background in gastronomy with world-class artistry.

LP: Let’s talk about the liquid itself. How did you capture the essence of the Himalayas in the botanical profile?

Will Phillips: We spent two years sourcing eight exceptional botanicals during precise, fleeting seasonal windows to capture each plant at its absolute peak maturity. The profile is anchored in the true terroir of the region: ginger harvested at 2,300 metres in Himachal Pradesh, oil-rich turmeric root, and mountain-grown, chemical-free coriander seeds that impart extraordinary citrus and earthy depth. We balanced these with exotic Asian botanicals, including Kaffir lime from Indonesia, Chinese lychee, and Thai Nam Doc mango, before finishing with fresh British coriander leaf.

LP: Distilling such a complex array of botanicals must have required an exceptional level of technical precision...

Will Phillips: It was painstaking. I collaborated with master distiller Martin Jennings at his micro-distillery, Soapbox Spirits. Martin holds a WSET Diploma and brings a masterclass approach to spirits, having previously won seven international Gold Medals for his Pothecary Organic Gin. To ensure total purity, Martin distilled each of the eight botanicals completely separately in traditional copper stills. He then trialled dozens of meticulous micro-blends before we hit absolute perfection.

LP: The vessel holding the spirit is an artistic marvel in its own right. How did the bottle design come to life?

Will Phillips: Every single bottle is a bespoke piece of sculptural glass art. Specialist glassmakers Nouvel hand-cast high-clarity crystalline into the dramatic silhouette of Mount Everest, utilizing a masterly combination of traditional mouth-blowing, hand-polishing, and precise modern engineering. To top it off, the stopper is a lost-wax die-cast snow leopard sculpture, adapted from an original work by Stephen Rew, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s Wildlife Artist of the Year 2019.

LP: The unboxing experience extends well beyond the main bottle. What else completes the set for collectors?

Will Phillips: Each set includes two bespoke glasses created by master glass artist Stuart Wiltshire, whose past commissions include prestigious lamps for St James's Palace for the British Royal Family. The base of each glass is subtly hand-engraved with Stephen Rew’s leopard emblem, and a signed print of Rew’s original artwork accompanies the set. Furthermore, for the first 50 acquisitions, we have included an atomizer containing distilled leaves from an exceptionally rare Tibetan juniper plant. Misting it over the glass before pouring releases a delicate, aromatic breath of high-altitude Himalayan air right before your first sip.

LP: For those who wish to sample the liquid before acquiring one of the 200 bottles, where can it be experienced?

Will Phillips: Given the extreme rarity, bottle allocations are strictly limited. However, guests can experience it served by the glass at The Priory, my award-winning restaurant in a beautiful spot on the South Coast of England in Christchurch, poured over a crystal ice cube hand-stamped with the leopard emblem. Award-winning mixologist Mihai Vulpe, formerly of Shochu Lounge and The Ned, has also crafted an exquisite bespoke serve for us called the Snow Leopard Martini. This November, we are introducing the spirit to London through a series of private tastings at The Dorchester, marking the start of a highly selective rollout across a handful of the world's most iconic luxury destinations.

To inquire about securing one of the 200 limited-edition bottles, visit Snow Leopard Gin.