A GIN BY ANY OTHER NAME

By now, gin is so ubiquitous in our bottle stores and behind the bar that you might feel you know all there is to know – from the unique properties of orris root to the distillation requirements of a true London Dry gin. But now is actually the perfect time to give a little refresher.

Part of the popular and intriguing character of gin is the enormous divergence of botanicals, styles and processes that can be applied in the making of the spirit. It can also make it difficult to judge and assess unless you really know your stuff.

In the recent NZ Spirits Awards competition, there were 145 gins entered, the majority of which were made in New Zealand. One-hundred-and-thirty-one took home a medal of some description. Those precious little bronze, silver and gold stickers really do influence consumer behaviours, so for all you on- and offpremise owners, operators and staff time, it’s time to ensure you know your gin from Genever and your Old Tom from a London Dry.

YOU SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF GIN, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

If there was one thing whisky, tequila and vodka could laud over gin, it would be the simplicity of the naming structure. The world of gin is full of 18th and 19th century terminology that at any moment might read like a geographical indication protector or a reference to a classic novel.

There are three key questions to keep at top of mind:

1. Did the spirit gain flavour by distillation or a compound method?

2. What is the flavour profile of the gin?

3. Is that flavour profile, appearance and mouthfeel true to style?

Where do we begin?

Lots of people will mention Genever as the origin of gin, but actually the spirit is a far cry from what we know as classic or even contemporary gin today. It dates back some 500 years before gin emerged and was distilled malt wine that would be flavoured with juniper to help disguise and make the spirit palatable. The use of malt spirit, often used with additions of corn, rye or barley, adds a sweeter and more complex layer of flavour.

Modern Gin

So let’s work our way through the basics. For starters, there are gin naming conventions defined by the process in which they are made, as well as the flavour profile they carry. These categories are broadly defined as distilled or compound gin (process) and then classic or contemporary flavour profiles with lots of crossover in between.

Distillation vs Compounding

A compound gin takes an previously distilled neutral spirit and then flavours that spirit with extracts, essences without any additional distillation. This might be done by maceration of additional ingredients or simple infusion. If picturing a big vat of neutral spirit with a bucketload of botanicals has you raising an eyebrow at the thought of gin tea, you can relax – sort of. Extracting flavour from botanicals is definitely not a one-size-fits-all process. Depending on the botanical, distillers may adjust their treatment of the individual botanicals before combining oils and essences at various stages. Often made with adding juniper oil and other flavours or syrups to whey or sugar-based spirit, these spirits are extremely quick to process and bottle.

Compound gins have often historically referred to as ‘bathtub’ gin and have previously been considered of lower quality from back in Prohibition days when non-palatable and non-consumable alcohols would be flavoured, sweetened and essentially disguised! Of course, modern methods and appropriate treatment of botanicals mean this isn’t the case today – but it’s important for customers and staff to know the difference, especially when so many New Zealand made gins are commanding a premium price. While there are over 60 New Zealand gin brands in market, not all re-distilling their own spirits and many are using compound gin processes to create their unique flavours. For the consumer – it means a wide variety of styles to choose from but behind the bar or in the retail outlet, it’s important for those serving customers to know the difference and point people towards the flavour and quality they are looking for.

Making gin by distillation involves redistilling your base spirit with botanicals, usually in a gin basket, which involves more time and attention to detail when working with a variety of complex botanical ingredients that need to be managed depending on the season, temperature and availability.

THE STYLES...

Let’s start in London Dry (Distilled/ Classic)

So if we are distilling, let’s start where it all began in the most classic of styles. While London Dry gin is certainly popular in London, it’s actually a process designation – a classification based on the way the gin has been made, not where (unlike Plymouth Gin). There are some complexities around the spirit origin, distillation process and but essentially all botanical flavour must be imparted through distillation only. It’s dry because the addition of sweetener or sugar is prohibited. This was only made possible with the invention of the Coffey still that allowed for the unpleasant and often toxic impurities to be removed through distillation. This classic style of gin is juniper dominant but still absolutely packed with citrus and uses classic botanicals such as coriander see, angelica root, citrus peel and orris root are considered synonymous with the style.

Plymouth (Distilled/Classic)

As far as regional designation goes, Plymouth gin (the style) used to be a regional designation until 2014, when the only brand making it (also called Plymouth Gin) gave up the designation, hoping their loyal customer base would stick with them. Plymouth gin uses less juniper balancing the same set of classic botanicals (cardamom, coriander seeds, orris root, dried orange peels, juniper, and Angelica root) for a softer, earthier flavour that is slightly sweeter than London Dry.

Navy Strength (Distilled/Classic or Distilled/Contemporary)

Seeing as we are already in Plymouth, a significant port of call for the British Navy, let’s unpack exactly what Navy Strength means. The baseline for Navy Strength gin was traditional the same style as London Dry but proofed at the higher ABV of 55% and above. The tradition goes that Navy Strength spirits were preferred onboard sailing vessels because at a higher proof, the highly flammable spirit wouldn’t damage any gunpowder that should happen run afoul of a split barrel. Navy Strength gin has become a highly regarded category as distillers must work hard to ensure a balance between the heavier, more potent spirit and the botanical oils and essences giving it distinct flavour. Increasingly the term ‘navy strength’ is also being applied to gins that are contemporary in style, so it’s important to know whether you’re looking at a classic London Dry style or contemporary profile.

Manuka

Who’s Old Tom? (Compound/Classic)

Old Tom-style gin actually predates London Dry styles and opened the door to what has become compound processing. Prior to the invention of the Coffey still, you couldn’t escape the unpleasant and toxic components of other distillation methods. Adding a little sugar was essentially non-negotiable so the gin was palatable. It’s a sweeter and meltier style of gin, depending on the base ferment ingredients.

Why so Sloe? (Liqueur)

Technically sloe gin isn’t gin at all, it’s a gin-based liqueur sweetened with sugar and flavoured by infusing sloe berries. When done well, the berries and sweeteners don’t completely overwhelm the presence of botanicals but rather serve as a foundation and enhancement.

Barrel to the future (Aged gin)

Infusing sloe berries in a barrel full of gin isn’t the only time barrels and gin come into contact. If you’ve seen and been excited by the new trend towards barrel-aged gins full of rosy blush and amber hues given by oak influence – rest assured, it’s been around for centuries. As with any other wine, fortified wine or spirit – for much of the 18th century, barrels were the only transport option for spirits making their way to export. They would typically pick up colour and flavour from the barrels they voyaged in, sometimes even taking on more colour than whisky, depending on the casks available.

Futurama Drama

Contemporary gin is a big catch-all category and an area of hot debate amongst some writers, distillers and spirit judges out there. For good reason – should gin still be essentially juniperforward if other modern, non-traditional, native or local botanicals are also being included? When is a spirit no longer gin and simply flavoured spirit? Let’s slice the pie one more time.

Contemporary Dry (Distilled/ Contemporary)

Contemporary Dry or Western Dry gins as they are known in the US, are essentially still juniper forward, predominantly unsweetened gins that may draw on modern botanicals as well as the classic gins. Examples might be New Zealand native botanicals such as tarata, kawakawa berry, Manuka, kanuka flower, horopito or pepperberry, lemon myrtle and kaffir lime. In examples like The Botanist Islay Gin, produced by Bruichladdich – botanicals include pomegranate, mint, apple and honey.

Contemporary or Contemporary Modern (Distilled/Contemporary)

These are gins that may still include juniper in the botanical profile but are not juniper forward relying on other modern and traditional botanicals to create unique profiles. The base spirit raw ingredient can also play a part in flavour here. While it’s traditional for

Flavoured Gin (Compound/ Contemporary)

Using compound methods, gin makers have been playing with flavour for a long time. Some distillers also use vacuum distillation to infuse and enhance flavour into spirit. Everything from sauvignon blanc wine to chocolate. There’s almost nothing that hasn’t been used to flavour gin. ■

Tash McGill is a spirits and hospitality writer who regularly hosts tastings and education classes for those wanting to know more about spirits and their uses - from cocktails to culinary food matches. She has been in the spirits and cocktail industry for more than 10 years, writing, tasting and judging competitions.