Welcome to The Gin Track
We love gin! Join the Digital Distiller community and make your own premium and ultra-premium gins together with our craft distillery partners.
Our gin tasting subscription boxes include access to our new gin creation track.
The gin track will create 3-4 new gins each year
As a member you get any community created spirits at the member price.
We will decide on the different elements that will impact the taste of our gin.
- What base spirit is used
- Which botanicals are added
- The distillation method
- Whether the gin is aged and for how long
We will also make choices together on:
- What our new gins are called
- How the labels for our new gins look
- What shaped bottles we want to use
Types of gin (non exhaustive!)
London Dry
Juniper-dominated, traditional gins made using the London Gin production technique, meaning all flavours must come from distillation, with only water and neutral spirit to be added after distillation.
Examples: Gordons, Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire
Contemporary
Sometimes also called New-Wave, New Western or New American Dry gins. Juniper is still discernible, but other flavours, e.g. citrus, spice, and floral notes are more forward.
Examples: Hendricks, Aviation, Malfy
Navy Gin
Simply, any gin bottled with a minimum alcoholic strength of 57%. 'Navy strength' spirits supposedly wouldn’t disable gunpowder if it accidentally spilt onto it during rough seas.
Old Tom Gin
Reproduces a historical style of gin, usually either botanically intense, sugar-sweetened, or botanically sweetened.
Examples: Ransom, Hayman
Barrel Aged Gin
It is less common for gin to be aged in barrel but it is increasing in popularity. Normally it is only a matter of weeks or months as the barrel flavours can easily overpower the gin's more subtle notes.
Flavoured Gin
Flavoured with fruit or other botanicals, usually via infusion or maceration, these may also be sweetened. Can include flavoured versions of gins from other categories, e.g. Old Tom of Navy Gin.
Base Spirit
The base spirit is the foundation of any gin. Typically, gin is made with a neutral grain spirit, but we can use any distilled spirit, such as vodka or brandy.
Our choice of base spirit will affect the flavour of our gin. Neutral grain spirits tend to produce a clean, crisp gin, while using brandy (i.e. a grape) base will add a fruity and spicy note.
Botanicals
Botanicals are the herbs, spices, and fruits used to flavour gin. The most common botanicals used in gin include juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root, orris root, and citrus peel.
These botanicals can be used individually or in combination to create a unique flavour profile for our gin. When choosing botanicals, it will be important to consider the balance of flavours and the strength of each ingredient.
Distillation Method
Distillation is the process of extracting flavours from botanicals and blending them with the base spirit. There are two main distillation methods used in gin production: pot distillation and column distillation.
Pot distillation is a traditional method that involves heating a pot of alcohol and botanicals and collecting the vapour as it condenses. Column distillation, on the other hand, uses a tall column to separate the alcohol and botanicals.
Each method produces a different flavour profile, with pot distillation producing a more complex and full-bodied gin, while column distillation usually produces a lighter and more neutral gin.
Ageing
Ageing is an optional step in gin production that involves storing the gin in barrels or casks for a period of time, usually only weeks or months. This process can impart additional flavours and colours to the gin, but it can also mask the botanical flavours.
If we decide to age our gin, it will be important that we choose the right type of barrel and monitor the ageing process carefully to achieve the desired flavour.
Conclusion
Making gin involves a range of options and decisions that can greatly impact the flavour of our final product (as well as the cost, of course!) By choosing a specific base spirit, selection of botanicals, distillation method, whether to age and blending techniques, we can create a unique and delicious gin together.