The spirit, made from a variety of grains, is sometimes referred to as neutral grain spirit, though that is not quite the case, and the spirit used will influence the final gin. To this base spirit a range of botanicals will be added. These are natural ingredients and include the compulsory juniper berries, as well as, most often used, coriander, angelica, lemon, and orange peel.
The number of botanicals varies from gin to gin, but a good-quality premium gin may have six to ten botanicals, and these may include everything from spices to tea and from flowers to exotic fruits.
Steeping
Some distillers soak the botanicals before distillation, and they have their own ideas how long this process should take.
Immersion
The botanicals are then immersed in the base spirit, normally in a pot still. The pot still is then heated to release the oils from the botanicals. At this point the process is similar to that for single malt whisky production, with the early vapours discarded, the middle part of the run collected, and the final part discarded. Further neutral alcohol and water may be added.
Vapour extraction
Some distilleries do not immerse the botanicals, but suspend them above the base spirit. This is the method used by Bombay Sapphire. As the vapours rise, the flavours of the suspended botanicals are extracted and collected as before.
Individual extraction and blending
Some distillers take each botanical separately and put it through the distillation process. Then the collection of different botanical distillates are blended to produce the required gin.
It is hard to believe that in the early part of the millennium gin was restricted to Gordon’s, Beefeater, and a smattering of premium expressions. Now a good bar will offer the customer an array of regionally produced premium gins in a range of styles and flavours, quite possibly alongside a choice of mixers. No longer is the lemon slice the lone accompaniment to the classic gin and tonic.
Tonics matter, as does the ice used. And discerning drinkers now understand what makes a good martini or negroni, as well as a gin and tonic.
And that is the tip of the iceberg. The new generation of mixologists are working at the coal face by exploring old drinks styles and historical recipes, looking to experiment with botanicals, and rediscovering and re-inventing classic old drinks such as The Old Tom.
Apart from a passing reference to these drinks styles, this book is firmly focused on what might be described as the more traditional gin brands. Our selection includes a mixture of the major producers, alongside some of the more exciting of the new producers and one or two which show just how vibrant and exciting the gin sector has become.
Genever is often referred to as ‘Dutch gin’ but this is not quite right. Under European law it may be made in the Netherlands, in Belgium, and in a couple of German and French states. Though it is related to gin and is seen to be the forerunner of the premium gin spirit now being made in Britain, it also nods towards the production of whiskey, and particularly bourbon.
Genever is made from a mash bill made up of rye, corn, and malted barley. The grains are cooked at different temperatures, milled and mashed by adding hot water. This is then fermented into a rough beer or barley wine. The yeast used is normally baker’s yeast, but brewer’s or distiller’s yeast may also be used.
The resulting liquid is then distilled up to three times. Finally the resulting distillate is distilled again with a range of botanicals which must include juniper berries. The resulting genever is fruity and infused with botanicals.
Oude or jonge
Genever may, and often is, matured in barrels at this point. And it may be described as either ‘oude’ or ‘jonge’. Somewhat confusingly, this does not refer to the length of time the spirit spends in wood. A jonge genever contains a maximum of 15 per cent malt, and often a lot less. Oude genevers must have a minimum of 15 per cent malt wine content, and typically have 40 per cent, giving them more character.
Genevers are most often matured for a short period in used casks, but some are aged for considerably longer, and the likes of Zuidam in the Netherlands is using a range of cask types.
Nobody is absolutely sure where the name Old Tom comes from, but you’d be forgiven if you thought it had something to do with the expression ‘any old Tom, Dick, or Harry’, because it would seem it can be many things to many people.
Just as its naming is lost in the depths of time, so it would seem is an exact definition of it, but, in simplistic terms, it is a maltier, fruitier, and sweeter version of what we might now associate with traditional gin.
It occupies a space between the big, rich, malty genevers that the Dutch produced, and the sharper, tangy, and drier style of gin that we know as London Dry Gin. Walk into a gin palace or pub in the 18th or 19th century and order a gin, and Old Tom is likely to be what you would get. But by the 20th century its popularity had declined and London-style gin had replaced it.
The picture is further clouded by the fact that distillation techniques were evolving rapidly, there were no uniform or standardized methods of production, and, beyond the need for juniper berries to be among the botanicals, ingredients for it weren’t set in stone. Some Old Tom was exported in tired old barrels that didn’t influence the flavour of the spirit, while others travelled in active barrels and matured en route, giving them very different flavours.
The Old Tom style is being rediscovered, and leading drinks experts such as Dave Wondrich have worked with distillers to produce a modern version of the drink. Many consider the style to be the perfect stepping stone for a whisky lover to discover the joys of gin.
Gin-related spirits: Aged gins
The whisky writer Jim Murray tells a story about being with a Dutch distiller describing his latest gin, which he had aged in oak barrels for some years. As the conversation went on and they talked more about the grain used and the type of barrel, Jim suddenly declared, ‘That’s not gin, that’s whisky!’
It’s a fine line, but certainly once you remove the botanicals from the equation, the lines become severely blurred. Aged gin has become fashionable in recent years, with bars hosting their own mini-casks full of gin spirit, and creating their own take on aged gin.
There are also countries, particularly those in Eastern Europe, where stainless steel casks are prohibitively expensive and distillers have had no choice but to use oak casks.
Given the flexibility that gin offers, the idea of ageing opens up a whole new world of possible flavours, as distillers explore everything from virgin oak from continents across the world to casks that have been previously used for a vast range of different wines and spirits, including some that are highly regional and region-specific.
