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
Northern California’s Griffo Distillery enticed us with its recent release of whiskey distilled from Lagunitas’ The Waldos beer, so we’re diving back into the distillery’s offerings with a deeper dive into some of its more mainstream, permanent releases. Let’s not sit on ceremony as we delve into a collection that spans vodka, gin, whiskey, and…
First things first: That vibrant blue liquid is gin — not violet liqueur, not sloe gin, not something from the planet Zebulon. It’s a straight gin colored to be blue, thanks to the addition of butterfly pea blossoms to the distillate. Why make a blue gin? The British Columbia-based distillery explains: Victoria Distillers introduced Empress…
This is one I sure didn’t see coming. Plymouth‘s new gin expression is infused with, well, you already figured it out — honey. Originally a limited release in the UK in 2023, it’s dropping in the U.S. for summer 2026, complete with a Bee’s Knees cocktail kit from Cocktail Courier that includes lemon and honey…
We’ve reviewed a number of gins from Tamworth Garden Distillery, and they make brilliant spirits with a healthy irreverence for tradition, but the one we sample today is the most unusual we’ve tried to date. Emshika’s Garden Thai Chili Gin is, as the name subtly suggests, made with Thai chilis in collaboration with Chang Thai…
The James of James Gin is James May, that noted host of Top Gear and, it turns out, a whole bunch of cooking- and travel-related TV shows. He also owns a pub in the English countryside, and he makes gin — with five expressions currently under his belt. I know all this because May explained it…
Fords Gin (not Ford’s Gin, btw) is beloved by bartenders, which makes it all the more surprising that there’s never been a line extension in more than a decade since its launch. That changed a few years ago, not with the navy strength expression you might be expecting but with a relative rarity: Fords Sloe…
Boatyard Double Gin was first distilled in 2016 at the newly established Boatyard Distillery, located on the banks of Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The name derives from the fact that the distillery is built on a converted boatyard. The distillery and the gin are the brainchild of Joe McGirr, who grew up…
Around seven years after introducing its hallmark gin, the House of Suntory is expanding the Roku line with a more fruit-forward special release: Roku Gin Minori Select Edition. The limited offering is meant to coincide with a Spring seasonal harvest. It features six total botanicals, in addition to juniper berry: melon, white peach, ume (Japanese…
Distilled at the Trinity River Distillery in Fort Worth, Texas, Devil’s Grin Gin is the brainchild of Master Distiller Brett Luchesi who set out to make a gin that was in the London Dry style but was not too pine forward. He explained: That resinous flavor can dominate from first sip to last. I wanted to…
Gin from castles. So hot right now. Following on the footsteps of brands like Downton Abbey Gin and Highclere Castle, Walled Garden makes a big deal about the building it’s made in. This gin hails from a Scottish castle rather than an English one, though, where it’s made by Zara Gordon-Lennox the executive gardener of…