Gin is made by redistilling a neutral spirit with botanicals, of which juniper must be the dominant flavour. During distillation, alcohol captures the natural oils and aromas from the botanicals, transforming a clean, neutral spirit into a gin with its own distinctive character. While the process follows the same basic principles, every distiller develops their own methods and recipes, making each gin unique.
Selecting the Botanicals
Juniper is the heart of every gin. Without its fresh pine, resinous and slightly peppery flavour, a spirit cannot legally be called gin.
Once juniper has been chosen, the distiller creates a recipe by selecting additional botanicals. Coriander seed is often used for gentle citrus and spice, angelica root adds earthy depth, while citrus peel, herbs, flowers, roots and spices all contribute their own character.
Creating a great gin isn’t about using the largest number of botanicals. It’s about understanding how they work together. Sometimes just a small adjustment to one ingredient can completely change the balance of the finished spirit.
Distillation
There are several ways to extract flavour from botanicals. One traditional method is maceration, where the botanicals are steeped in the spirit before distillation. I always try to macerate at least one day before if not two days. As the alcohol heats, it dissolves the natural oils from the plants and carries them through the still.
Another method is vapour infusion. Instead of sitting in the liquid, the botanicals are placed in a basket above the spirit. In my new G Still im able to use a serious of Vapor baskets. As alcohol vapour rises through the still, it passes over the botanicals, gently collecting their more delicate aromas before condensing back into liquid.
Throughout the distillation, the distiller carefully monitors the run and separates the spirit into three parts: the heads, hearts and tails. The hearts contain the cleanest and most balanced flavours and become the finished gin. I always save the first 50cl of gin produced to pass onto my ancestors in the garden as many of them especially mum and dad loved gin.