Lead guitarist of Queen, Brian May, has partnered with Portobello Road Distillery to launch The Red Special Gin.

Created in the Notting Hill-based “Ginstitute”, the liquid is named after the Red Special guitar that May built with his father.

Portobello Road said that the instrument went on to become one of the most recognisable guitars in rock history, and that May was now bringing the same spirit of invention to his gin foray.

The distillery continued that May was actively involved in the gin creation process, working with the distillery team to develop a liquid based around his favourite botanicals, including sage and calamansi orange, which the musician grows in his home greenhouse.

A limited-edition drink, each bottle of the gin has been sequentially numbered, with May taking 000001 and the distillery keeping 000002.

On the guitar–inspired gin, May said: “Collaboration is my thing right now. I’ll be proud to see this new collaboration out there. I completely relate to the very British homespun ethos of Portobello, and their attention to detail, making this a very high-quality product.”

At the same time, Gemma Monaghan Gilbert, marketing director at Portobello Road Distillery, added: “Working with Sir Brian May on Red Special Gin has been a real joy. What makes this collaboration so special is that it’s rooted in a shared passion for craftsmanship, creativity and doing things differently.

“Brian has poured so much of his own story, his character and creativity into the project, and we’ve loved bringing that together with our own London distilling heritage.”