Gin is one of my favorite types of spirits. Over the next few months I will post reviews on quite a few of them, but first I should cover some background on the subject. Gin could technically be called a type of infused spirit sort of like the infused vodkas that are so popular today.

Gin was first created around 1650 in Holland by a physician as a medicinal tonic and was called genever, which is Dutch for juniper. Genever as a tonic was very rough, heavy, and sweet. The English started drinking the spirit and shortened the name to gin, as well as changing the recipe over time to become dry, i.e. not sweet. Genever is still made in the Netherlands but has developed over time to its current form.

To be called gin, the primary or base flavor/aroma is juniper berries which have a piney, sweet/sharp taste and smell. In addition gin may have a wide variety of herbs, spices, roots, pits, peels, and other plant substances added for more complex flavor. These flavoring elements are referred to as botanicals. Some commonly used botanicals besides juniper are: almonds, angelica, aniseed, caraway seed, cardamom pods, cassia, cinnamon, citrus peel (lemon, orange, and bitter orange), coriander seed, cubeb berries, cumin seed, fennel seed, ginger root, iris root, licorice root, nutmeg, paradise grain, savory, star anise, and violet root. Probably anything else you can imagine has been used as well.

Gin can be made in several ways, all starting with pure neutral spirits of high strength, basically 100% alcohol. One way is cold compounding, which is infusing the botanicals directly in the neutral spirits for various periods of time and then filtering it clear and lowering the alcohol content with pure water. Another way is using essential oils of different botanicals and adding this to the neutral spirits and then diluting. The main way it is made is through distillation using a pot still or a column still. In the still there are racks which hold the botanicals. The alcohol steam/vapor runs through the herbs and spices picking up their flavors and aromas, afterwards the spirit is diluted to final strength.

There are three main gin types/styles. Dry Gin; German Gin, also called Steinhager, and Dutch/Holland Gin, also called Genever.

Dry Gin / English Dry Gin / London Dry Gin- This type is made from neutral grain spirits as a base. This is what most people consider to be gin. A dry, aromatic clear spirit now bottled at around 40% alcohol/80 proof. Originally it was bottled at just over 50% alcohol/100 proof but eventually gin was preferred to be a bit less hot and hard, so the softer style became the one most accepted and some people experts identify the lower alcohol dry gin as "Soft" gin. The two styles seem to both be evolving and may split up into two distinctive styles one day. Dry (and "soft") gin use anywhere from three to over twenty botanicals in addition to juniper. It can be very complex or very simple according to the amount and type of botanicals. As in its name, it is a dry/not sweet in flavor. Some of the new premium gins are less dry than typical for the style. English Dry Gin as a style is much dryer / less sweet than Genever and more complex than Steinhager. Gordon's gin is the number one selling in the world and what I use as a personal benchmark for a classic, clean, dry gin. It isn't overly complex, nor is it simple; it's just a very well made gin. Dry gins mix very well and due to the botanicals can create some fantastic flavors in a cocktail that you wouldn't get using vodka. Premium and super premium gins are best drunk on the rocks to enjoy the complexity, although many do use them in mixed drinks which I think is a shame.

Plymouth Gin was once a distinctive type of gin but has come to be classified under London Dry as s sub-type because of its similarity. The brand Plymouth Gin is the only gin that can use the name Plymouth or Plymouth style. It is soft and smooth in character.

German Gin / Steinhager- This style is made from neutral grain spirits as a base. This is a unique type because under German law it can only be flavored with juniper berries and no other botanicals. It is a dry style, but not as complex as London Dry or Genever because of the lack of botanicals that are used in those styles. It is the essence of gin, just a dominant juniper flavor and aroma. Schlichte Steinhager Gin is the one usually encountered outside of Germany and is readily recognized by its tall, thin, brown ceramic bottle.

Dutch/Holland Gin a.k.a. Genever- There are a few Dry Style gins made in Holland such as Leyden and Zuidam. The huge majority are Genever which are thick, somewhat sweet, and at times overwhelming with intensity and complexity. These are more like the original gins created back in the mid to late 1600's. They are made with malt liquor as a base, not neutral grain spirits. Genever have a more robust flavor than dry styles because of the full, strong, malt spirit base. There are also several age classifications in Genever. The ones I know of are Jonge- which is unaged and Oude- aged at least one year in oak barrels. Genever is usually drunk chilled straight, on the rocks or shaken, but with no mixer. It really doesn't mix well and loses its pleasant mouthfeel and complexity when it is used in a mixed drink. The main makers of genever are Bols, Boomsa, and De Kuyper; Zuidam makes it as well.

So here you have the basics on gin, if you have any questions or comments feel free to ask and I will try to answer in a future post.