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
Ho ho ho! Forget milk and cookies, what Santa needs this year is a shot of good, hard alcohol to help get him through whatever 2025 has in store for us. Shopping is tough, so if you’re considering a special bottle for a special someone in your life, look no further. We have you covered…
High in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, presiding over the desert landscape of New Mexico, lies the city of Santa Fe. Host to a handful of distilleries shaping a new perspective on American spirits, As Above, So Below Distillery (AASB) is a prime example of the enchanting products expressing the soul of the American southwest.…
Love The Botanist Gin but want a little more punch? With the new Botanist Distiller’s Strength, you can get the same mix of 22 hand-foraged, wild Islay botanicals with more intensity, clocking 50% abv instead of the rack 46%. Distiller’s Strength now sits in the middle of the Botanist abv lineup, proofwise — The Botanist…
I get excited when I hear Tamworth Garden is releasing a new gin. The distillery, fronted by Steven Grasse, has earned our respect (and a place on our annual top gins list) for consistently producing gins that brilliantly highlight the character of their distinctive botanicals and bring them into harmony. Today we are trying two…
Le Gin 13, as the “Le” might suggest, hails from France — specifically the cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape-based maker of the wines Les Cailloux and Cuvée Centenaire, André Brunel. The gin is made from a base of organic grapes and includes 13 botanicals all grown in the Rhone Valley: juniper, coriander, angelica root, cinnamon, orange peel,…
The trend in additive-free, “good-for-you” spirits continues apace with a new addition to the ever-expanding catalogue of gin options, Revivalist Garden Gin. Produced by Botanery Barn Distillery in Elverson, Pennsylvania, this gin is the product of collaboration with purported gin connoisseur and New York City mixologist Brendan Bartley. We already encountered another Revivalist expression years…
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…
Most gins don’t usually debut at film festivals. Then again, most gins aren’t made in collaboration with Brad Pitt, the elder-hunk movie star and infamous figment of Ed Norton’s imagination (sorry, spoilers). His new gin, The Gardener, walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival last year and just recently came to the U.S.…
For the better part of the last decade, Spirits of French Lick in southern Indiana has been under the distilling leadership of Alan Bishop. During this span, SOFL has come to be known for innovative spirits and thinking outside of the proverbial box. However, in April 2024, Alan Bishop announced his departure for an upstart…
London-based Brockmans makes a workable gin which it’s dubbed “Intensely Smooth,” and for its next trick it’s turning to our old friend tequila for inspiration. Brockmans Agave Cut is built on a backbone of “agave spirit” made in Jalisco, Mexico — which presumably is not tequila because of some aspect of its distillation and/or the…