General Gin Lesson

WHAT GIN IS

Gin consists of neutral spirits distilled or redistilled with juniper berries and other aromatics. Although it sounds like a simple liquor, gin is a product of precise quality control and secret, complex recipes. Today, the center of the modern gin distillery or rectifier is the lab where the herbs, seeds, berries and roots for every botanical charge are measured for flavor strength. This alone makes gin highly dependent for its flavor on the skills of the distiller.

An official definition for gin might be this: “Gin is a product obtained by original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral spirits with or over juniper berries and other aromatics, or with or over extracts derived from infusions, percolation or maceration of such materials.”

Gin produced by distillation may be further designated as “distilled” of which “London Dry Gin” is by far the leading type of the market.

Federal definitions acknowledge the existence of a number of gins, but define only two types - “distilled gin” and “compound gin.”

The distillation of juniper berries with spirits had its beginning in Holland. The drink was called Genevre, a French word meaning juniper. The English merely shortened the name Genevre to gin. Holland gin, or Generve gin as it is sometimes called, has a low proof malt spirit base and, as a result, is much more heavy bodied than the more popular dry gins.

HOW GIN IS MADE

There are two processes for making gin - distilling and compounding. Practically all leading brands are distilled gin. Compound gin is a simple process that mixes neutral spirits with juniper. There are two methods for producing distilled gin. Direct distillation and redistillation.

In direct distillation, a fermented grain mash is pumped into a still. Heat is applied and the spirit vapors rise though the still and through a “gin head” at the top of the still.

Prior to the start of the distilling process, this gin head is packed with juniper berries and herbs and, as the spirit vapors pass through these flavoring materials, it extracts the flavoring from them. This delicately flavored vapor is then condensed and the resulting liquid is finished gin.

The above covers what the government calls “original distillation,” but the alternative method - “redistillation” - is virtually the same. The only difference lies in the fact that in redistillation, the fermented mash is first distilled into a flavorless neutral spirit. This neutral spirit in turn is placed in a second still containing a gin head packed with the flavoring materials. The spirit is redistilled or vaporized with the vapors passing through the gin head and absorbing the flavors.