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
Tanqueray No. Ten Gin
Recipes for National Gin and Tonic Day
If you thought spirits branding couldn’t get more inventive, you were very wrong. According to their press materials, Colorado’s Mythology Distillery is a small craft operation inspired by an Alaskan ski trip and a philosophy ...
We’ve reviewed a number of Nikka’s whiskies to date, but are just now coming around to their gin, which they introduced in 2017. As with the Japanese distillery’s Coffey Malt and Coffey Grain whiskies, the ...
The Family Jones is a Colorado-based distillery that produces a wide range of single-estate, grain-to-glass spirits, including vodka, gin, rum, rye, and bourbon — all with some level of “Jones” in the name. (Strangely, no ...
Bombay Bramble is Bombay Sapphire’s first new expression 10 years (since the launch of Bombay Sapphire East in 2011). It’s also the most unorthodox gin to come out of Bombay, a red-hued spirit flavored with ...
Canned gin & tonic is on the rise, and many of them are surprisingly solid in quality. While we’ve been worried that the new trend toward ready-to-drink cocktails would result in gin & tonics that ...
With all of the ready-to-drink cocktails that have been coming out lately, it is surprising that it took so long for the classic gin and tonic to appear (though perhaps that’s because this is literally ...
Robert recently reviewed 6 O’Clock Gin’s London Dry expression — and its canned G&T — but today we’re looking at the Bristol-based operation’s “export strength” expression, dubbed Brunel. The gin isn’t just a higher-strength version ...
The UK’s Salcombe Distilling Co. has recently brought its two flagship products — both gin — to the U.S. for the first time. In addition to its product quality claims, the distillery notes that it ...
6 O’Clock Gin is produced in Bristol, UK, drawing its name from the family tradition of the founders of the company to enjoy a gin and tonic every day at, you guessed it, 6 pm. ...
The latest special edition gin from Hendrick’s is Lunar, launched in January to celebrate the lunar new year — the Year of the Ox — as well as the night, seeing as it is “infused ...
