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
You may have come across Farmer’s Organic Gin in its former life when it was produced in Minnesota and packaged in a no-frills square bottle. Safe to say, a lot has changed for the brand. Under the stewardship of Chatham Imports (of Michter’s whiskey fame), Farmer’s Gin production has traveled several states west to Idaho…
We’re back with another new Drumshanbo gin from Ireland’s The Shed Distillery. Like the 2021 addition to the portfolio, Drumshanbo With Sardinian Citrus, the name is self-explanatory if a bit awkward. The focus for this new gin, once again, is on the citrus component in the ginbill. The distillery’s founder, PJ Rigney, apparently fell in…
What’s a damson plum? Well, if you’ve ever had sloe gin, you’re on the right track. Damsons and sloes are cousins, both found in the hedgerows of Britain, and both have been used to make booze for centuries, because the fruits are too tart and astringent to eat on their own. In this spin on…
Bombay Sapphire‘s special edition releases continue with Premier Cru Murcian Lemon, which is infused with Fino lemons from Murcia, Spain alongside additional mandarin and navel oranges to brighten up the citrus quality of the spirit. Unlike some of Bombay’s other special releases, such as East, the impact of the additional citrus here is notable and…
Vietnam makes some interesting spirits, and now it can add gin to the repertoire. Sông Cái was founded in 2018 and launched in the U.S. in 2021. It exclusively makes gin for now — in fact, it makes three of them — all designed to “bottle the taste of Vietnam’s biodiverse terroir.” Its botanicals are…
Hendrick’s is cranking out special editions like gin is going out of style, the latest being the Harry Potter-esque Flora Adora, the fourth installment in the Hendrick’s Cabinet of Curiosity lineup. Designed by master distiller Lesley Gracie, Flora Adora is built around flowers, though details beyond that are sketchy. The base spirit includes all the…
Since we last encountered Edinburgh Gin over a decade ago, the brand’s portfolio has exploded with a bevy of gin expressions as well as flavored gins and liqueurs. There’s a lot to get to, but today we’ll take a small bite out of the lineup with a review of Edinburgh’s Rhubarb & Ginger Gin and…
Halftone Spirits can be found in Brooklyn, New York, where it focuses heavily on gin and gin-adjacent spirits such as aquavit. Its latest seasonal is known as Wavelength: Noir, a unique, reddish-orange gin that’s designed with wintertime in mind. It’s distilled with 14 botanicals, including juniper, elderberry, smoked lapsang souchong tea, black cherry bark, cinnamon…
Canaïma gin is produced in Venezuela by a surprising maker: the distillers of Ron Diplomático. Made with 19 handpicked botanicals, six of which are native to the Amazonian rain forest (cashew (merey), acai, uva de palma, tupiro, seje, and copoazu), each is said to be individually distilled to make this unique gin. Traditional gin botanicals…
Ohio’s Middle West Spirits makes multiple whiskeys and vodkas but has long had only one gin, Vim & Petal. Now it adds a second gin to the mix: Lux & Umbra, which is made in the London dry style from a corn distillate, with just 6 botanicals: juniper, lemon, coriander, orris root, grains of paradise,…