Gin
Gin is thought to be a British adaptation of the Dutch spirit genever, though the origins of both gin and genever are subject to debate. Gin is, in essence, a flavored vodka as it is in fact a neutral spirit with certain flavorings added to it, though gin distillers won’t thank you for saying that. The key, characteristic flavor of gin must be of juniper, and historically juniper has been an overwhelming component of the spirit. In recent years, distillers have moved to tempering the impact of juniper and pumping up other flavors in the bottle, sometimes resulting in a spirit that’s closer to a flavored vodka. In the European Union and some other places gin must be at least 75 proof, while in the U.S. it must be at least 80 proof. “Navy Strength” gins are often bottled at 114 proof. Today, numerous sub-styles of gin have emerged out of the classic London Dry, including a resurgence of the archaic Old Tom gin style, Plymouth gin (which is also a famous brand), and New Western (or New American) gin, which tends to push the flavor boundaries of the spirit. Aside from Plymouth gin, which must be produced in a specific town in England, these gins have no formal, legal definitions or requirements.
Top Gin Posts:
The Botanist Gin
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Recipes for National Gin and Tonic Day
Here’s a funny origin story. Waterloo Gin got started in 2009 at Texas’s Treaty Oak distillery, and it was sold by them until September 2024 when it was spun off from Treaty Oak and sold to John Paul DeJoria’s spirits company. DeJoria is a big deal in spirits, having previously purchased the Patron brand and making…
We first tried a gin produced by the As Above, So Below distillery last year, and loved it: Their Sigil Gin landed in our list of top ten gins for 2024. The distillery’s early success makes sense since its Master Distiller, Carley Shoemaker, earned her bona fides over the course of many year at the…
Veritable Distillery is a new Connecticut-based spirits company, but founder Bailey Pryor has been around the block. He’s the founder of The Real McCoy Rum, and now he’s moving into the world of whiskey and gin. The idea? Make spirits with “ingredients that were historically available and commonly traded in New England over 300 years…
War Trail Spirits is a Texas whiskey and gin producer based in Llano, Texas. We sampled their wares at the recent Texas Whiskey Festival and the managers were kind enough to drop off a collection of bottles for more in-depth analysis. So let’s dive in! Broken Halo Texas Bourbon 4 Years Old Review Produced from…
West End Gin hails from, of all places, Louisville, Kentucky, which is considerably better known for a different kind of spirit. Locally crafted by “entrepreneurial power couple” Dr. Dawn and Stacey Wade, the gin is made from 14 botanicals, including juniper, orange peel, coriander, and cardamom, and is described as citrus-forward and “a delightful dance…
The founders of Conniption Gin, Melissa and Lee Katrincic, have been at the forefront of America’s gin renaissance over the last decade. They were reportedly the first gin distillery to employ cold vacuum distillation, a process which allows gins to incorporate more delicate botanicals that would otherwise be compromised by the heat of traditional vapor…
Zephyr is a new gin brand made in England and designed with a singular, defining, additional ingredient in both of its expressions: elderberries. With that focus established (and considering we don’t know a whole lot more about these products), let’s dive into the experience. One item of note is that a lot of the paint…
We’re always excited to see a new gin release from Tamworth Distilling, which is based in New Hampshire. Their Spring Equinox Gin is a single-batch release and includes six botanicals: fresh celery, lemon petitgrain, juniper, black pepper, lavender, and angelica. These ingredients are distilled using a rotary evaporator. Let’s give it a try. Tamworth Garden…
Let’s just admit it: The name is funny. And fun. And lends itself to off-color jokes that only get crasser as you work your way through a second glass. But there is an entirely appropriate explanation for the company’s name: the Muff Liquor Company was founded in the village of Muff in County Donegal, Ireland.…
Last summer, Ireland’s The Shed Distillery released yet another in a growing lineup of unique botanical offshoots from their flagship Gunpowder Irish Gin. The name here is, once again, conveniently self-explanatory, but unlike the Sardinian Citrus and California Citrus offerings that came before, this latest edition showcases a citrus-adjacent botanical: pineapple. And not just any…