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Gin

Juniper is the anchor; citrus peel, coriander seed, roots, flowers, herbs and spice determine where the spirit goes next.

Raw material

A distilled alcoholic base flavoured around juniper and other botanicals

What makes it itself?

Juniper must lead the identity, while botanical recipe and production method create the style.

From raw material to bottle

Every stage leaves fingerprints.

1

Build the base

A clean spirit provides the canvas for botanical flavour.

2

Choose botanicals

Juniper leads; citrus, coriander, roots, spice, flowers and herbs build the supporting profile.

3

Extract flavour

Maceration, vapour infusion or other distillation techniques move botanical aroma into the spirit.

4

Reduce & bottle

Water brings the spirit to bottling strength; permitted additions depend on style and rules.

Follow the whole spirits journey

Names worth knowing

Some label words are useful. Some are mostly decoration.

London Dry

A tightly defined production style associated with a crisp, dry botanical profile; it does not have to be made in London.

Contemporary botanical

Still juniper-led, but citrus, floral, herbal or local botanicals may move further forward.

Old Tom

A historic family generally associated with a rounder or sweeter profile than London Dry.

Barrel-aged gin

Wood adds spice, vanilla, oxidation and texture to an otherwise botanical spirit.

Give it an address

Place can change the rules, the ingredients and the flavour.

Britain

A major modern gin culture with London Dry heritage and a large contemporary distilling scene.

Netherlands & Belgium

Genever provides important historical context for the development of gin.

Mediterranean

Citrus, herbs and regional botanicals often shape contemporary styles.

Global craft distilling

Local plants and place-led recipes now appear across the world.

Explore spirits & place

In the glass

What should you actually look for?

Juniper & pineCitrus peelHerbal & greenFloralPepper & spice

Gin & tonic

Tonic sweetness and bitterness should support rather than cover the gin.

Martini

A focused test of gin, vermouth, dilution and temperature.

Negroni

Bitterness and sweetness give a juniper-led spirit more weight.

Collins & fizz

Citrus, bubbles and length make gin particularly refreshing.

At the shelf

Read enough of the label to make a better choice.

Find the botanical direction

Juniper-heavy, citrus, floral, herbal and spice-led gins drink differently.

Think about the serve

A Martini gin and a fruit-led tonic gin may not be the same bottle.

Do not count botanicals

A longer ingredient list is not a quality score.

Check ABV

Strength changes texture, aroma and how well the gin stands up to tonic or cocktails.

Taste gin for yourself

A few bottles that bring the category to life

You’ve got the raw material, process, place and label language. These are a few real bottles to use as the next part of the lesson.

Henstone Distillery London Dry Gin product image

Henstone Distillery

Henstone Distillery London Dry Gin

Why it caught our eye

Henstone classic London Dry Gin has aromas of earthy juniper, subtly floral hops and citrus. Balanced on the palate with juniper, cardamom and citrus peels. A long, warming finish. oozes aroma and flavour.. Perfect over ice with a chunk of orange and a good quality Indian Tonic water or great as a base for classic cocktails.. Awards. GOLD Global Gin Masters 2022. DOUBLE GOLD & BEST of CLASS San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021. WINNER Gin Guide Awards 2020 & 2023. GOLD London Spirits Competition 2019. TWO STARS Great Taste Awards 2019

£29.99

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Shining Cliff Citrus Gin 70cl product image

White Peak Distillery

Shining Cliff Citrus Gin 70cl

Why it caught our eye

Shining Cliff Citrus Gin is crafted from ten botanicals, including citrus peel, lemon thyme, lemon verbena and lime tree leaves. The bright fresh citrus notes combine with juniper, angelica root and English coriander for a refreshing, classic Derbyshire Dry Gin.Drink with a premium standard tonic and garnish with citrus wedges or peels of zest.. The look and feel for the range of Shining Cliff Gin is a reflection of the history and heritage of the location. The old entrance sign to the ancient woodland has influenced the label font and the Victorian flourishes give it a sense of place, linking it to the Wire Works of the 19th century where the gin is now made.

£35.99

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Abingdon Distillery London Dry Gin product image

Abingdon Distillery

Abingdon Distillery London Dry Gin

Why it caught our eye

Abingdon London Dry Gin is a classic styled London Dry gin made with 8 botanicals using a recipe that took 56 batches to get just perfect! Unashamedly juniper-forward with warming and complex notes of cardamom and fennel, balanced with the earthy angelica root. Floral on the nose, and bursting with juniper & citrus on the palate with a subtle anise finish.. Nose: Floral notes & piney juniper, violets.. Palate: Dry and Juniper heavy, spiced citrus, lemon peel. Finish: Warming earthy notes with a sweet anise finish.. Serve tall over ice with classic or a citrus tonic water & a slice of fresh pink grapefruit. Drink neat with a little ice or it also makes a fantastic Negroni.. Abingdon Distillery crafts its gins in copper pot stills in small batches of no more than 120 bottles. The 100% distillation in copper pot stills over a medium heat gives the gins a very smooth texture.. Awards. Bronze Medal at IWSC 2020. World Gin Awards 2021 for London Dry Gin Category

£36.99

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Sing Gin, 20cl product image

Sing Gin

Sing Gin, 20cl

Why it caught our eye

Sing Gin is made using a grape base (Airen and Macabeo grapes) instead of the more common grain version. Grape was used in juniper spirits going as far back as the 1400’s - it results in a silky smooth mouthfeel with greater weight in the mouth.. This more full-bodied gin means it feels lush when drunk neat over ice, but also creates a very full-flavoured G&T. Sing Gin contains seven hand-crushed botanicals including mint, orange peel and flax, which is a historic Yorkshire crop.. Sing Gin is named after the village near Harrogate, Yorkshire where it is made: Kettlesing.. Pronounced juniper notes are followed by subtle sweet and citrus notes with a hint of spice, and floral after-tones. In the mouth, plenty of big juniper flavours balanced with sweet notes and a long finish, leaving a subtly pleasurable tingle on the edges of the tongue.. This smaller 20cl bottle size is perfect as a small gift or for sharing between two people. Contains the equivalent of 4 x 5cl double measures.. AWAR

£14.99

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Chosen from this spirit family, with taste language and useful catalogue detail used to shape the shortlist.

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