I. Neutral
alcohol:
neutral spirit is the ethyl alcohol that has 95% of ABV. It is made from
grains, grapes, potatoes, molasses, and other botanicals. The vast majority of
gin is made from neutral alcohol.
II. Production of
gin:
This step is also called an extraction method. In this step, the neutral
alcohol is distilled with chosen botanicals to extract their essential oils and
so flavor the neutral alcohol. Different distillers use different
distillation methods for extracting the flavor of botanicals. Out of these
methods, there are two main methods –
Steep and Boil
method:
This is a traditional and most common method of distillation. A pot
still is filled with the base spirit or neutral alcohol (which has been reduced
in strength with water to 50% ABV) along with Juniper berries and other
botanicals. The pot still comes in contact with heat. The steam of alcohol
becomes saturated with the flavor of berries and botanicals. Once it completed,
water is added to reduce the distillate to bottling strength.
Vapor infusion
method:
the mix of juniper berries and botanicals do not come directly in contact with
the neutral alcohol. Instead, they are placed either in a still above alcohol
or in a perforated chamber. When alcohol is boiled, the vapor rises up and
infuses with botanicals. The infused vapor then condenses into liquid and water
is added to reduce the alcohol to bottling strength.
two methods can be combined, where botanicals are first steeped and boiled and
then the same botanicals are vapor infused. For example, Henrick’s gin, in
which both these methods are used.
New gin production
methods:
several new production methods have been developed.
Vacuum
distillation method:
the base spirit and botanicals are steeped and boiled, but it takes under
vacuum. As a result, the temperature is reduced to 85 – 95oc. At
this lower temperature, the botanicals are cooked less than they would be in a
normal pot still, resulting in a fresher flavored gin.
Individual
botanical distillation:
In this method, each botanical is steeped individually and blended
together to make the final gin. This method allows more control in the
distillation process resulting in better gin production.
One-shot
distillation:
In this distillation process, the botanicals distilled only for a single
time. After distilling, it is diluted with water to reach the alcoholic strength required for bottling.
Multi-shot or
concentrated distillation:
In this method, a greater quantity of botanicals is distilled to produce a more concentrated
flavor. After distillation, neutral spirit and water are added.
III. Diluting and
filtering:
Distilled alcohol is left to rest for a few hours in the vat. Then its
alcohol content is gradually reduced by dilution. Cold filtration is carried
out by chilling the spirit up to -2oc. Then the spirit is
passed through a cellulose filter to remove any particles in suspension. Other
filtration techniques such as activated carbon are also used.
What are the Gin
Botanicals?
Gin botanicals are the main ingredients to make gin. These botanicals
are natural ingredients from which oils and flavors are extracted. There are
more than hundreds of botanicals used for flavoring gin.
From those, the following are most commonly used –
Juniper berries:
essential botanical used in the production of gin. It is a female seed cone of
various species of juniper. It is mainly found in Italy, Serbia, Macedonia, and
India. The flavor comes from the essential oils within the seeds of berries.
The three flavors are – alpha-pinene, p-terpineol, and camphor. Juniper berries
have a bitter-sweet taste.
Angelica root:
musky, nutty, damp Rooty, sweet flavor with a piney and dry edge. It holds the
volatile flavors of other botanicals and binds them together giving a substance
of gin.
Lemon and Orange
peel:
contains a high proportion of the fruit’s flavor. Lemon peels give fresh,
citrusy, juicy and lemony flavors. After peeling, lemon peels are dried before
infusion and distillation. Orange peel is also dried before distillation. It
gives oil-rich rind and citrus aroma.
Orris root:
perfumed character and like angelica root can help fix aromas and flavors
within the gin. These roots are harvested after three to four years of
plantation and stored for three to four years before use in distillation. Orris
roots are ground into powder before use. It is very bitter and tastes of Parma
violets.
Coriander seeds:
Morocco, Romania, Moldavia, Bulgaria, and Russia. The essential oil in
coriander seed is linalool. When the seed is crushed, it releases a strong
lemony citrus aroma and flavor.
Cassia:
the cinnamon family. It is the bark of a tree named Cinnamomum Cassia found in
Southern China. The bark from the tree is harvested, stripped, and dried. It has
a hotter and sweeter taste. In gin, Cassia gives earthy and warming
flavor.
Almond:
almond – sweet and bitter, are used in gin. It has a high essential oil content
and adds almond or marzipan, nutty, soapy and spicy flavor with a mouthfeel to
gin.
Cardamom:
citrusy, almost eucalyptus flavor to gin. It has two varieties – black and
green. The green variety is mostly used, as it has a very fine texture.
Cubeb berries:
taste like pepper and allspice berries. In gin, it is used for aromatic
properties.
Licorice:
fibrous root of the licorice plant. It is ground into a powder before
distillation. It gives a licorice flavor with a light, fresh, bittersweet,
woody-earthy taste.
Nutmeg:
