Beyond juniper

Gin is thriving, but as more and more producers enter the market, there’s confusion as to what it should and can be. So where is the category heading? Dominic Roskrow reports

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IT’S THE INAUGURAL Craft Distillers’ Alliance gin competition, and the looks on the faces of the judges say it all – a mix of confusion, incredulity and bemusement.

In front of them are nigh-on 50 gin samples – or so they have been told. But not all of them are convinced. And, roughly speaking, the spirits on offer can be divided in to two distinct camps.

In the blue corner are the gin equivalents of the dinner jacket and black tie brigade – clean, crisp, classical, sharp and sassy, the ice and a slice troupe with juniper to the fore.

In the red corner are a motley crew of cartoon characters – bright and colourful concoctions ranging from relatively well produced Disney style gins to the more outlandish representatives which are the spirits equivalent of garish Japanese animé. They’re all gin, the judges are told, but not necessarily as you know it.

“You’re having a laugh,” mutters one judge under his breath. And right there is the dilemma facing gin. It’s 2014 and the good news for gin is that it’s making waves. It’s innovative, exciting, experimental and just a little bit out of control.

The bad news for gin is that it’s making waves. It’s innovative, exciting, experimental and just a little bit out of control.

Fast forward to the spring of 2016, and the issue of when is a gin not a gin is as potent as ever, except more so. Gin distilleries are springing up on a weekly basis, made by a slew of new distilleries right across the world. And they’re bringing a range of styles and flavours that is seemingly endless, all of which is potentially good for the category.

But there is a caveat. Some producers are playing footloose and fancy free with the rules and are giving cause for concern as they produce spirits drinks that have been dismissed as flavoured vodkas and spirit infusions – not gin.

Patrick van Zuidam, who produces a premium gin among a huge array of other spirit and liqueur products and is a judge on various international awards panels, is clearly fed up.

“It’s getting ridiculous,” he says. “Judging in international gin competitions is becoming a difficult task. Some producers go overboard in their creativity or in looking for their niche and they create drinks that have little relevance to gins. A lot of gins lack balance, harmony and the taste of juniper.

“An award-winning gin is about balance, harmony, crisp distillation, clean stills and actually learning how to distil before bottling products. Sorry about my tone, but it’s due to frustration from judging impossible and badly made products marketed as gins.”

CLASSICAL VS MODERN

So how did this chasm between classical gin and modern gin come about? The main reasons are from the loose definitions of gin within the European Union, and from the different rules governing gin production in different territories.

In Europe there are three definitions of gin:

Standard Gin: This requires that the gin be made with a base spirit distilled to 96% abv. There is a requirement for a predominantly juniper-flavoured taste but you can add any botanicals you want and they can be infused – that is, not redistilled in to the mix. So they are effectively added. This is a very loose definition.

Distilled Gin: To use this term at least some of the botanicals have been included in the pot still distillation, though you may still add other botanicals and flavourings, as well as colourings.

London Dry Gin: Based on a 96% base spirit, all the botanicals must be distilled in a proper still.

According to gin expert David T Smith of Summer Fruit Cup, this is where the problem lies.

“These definitions are not fit for purpose,” he says. “They talk about a flavour predominantly based on juniper, but what does that mean? You and I might take it to mean 90% or 95% of the flavour, but clearly others do not and there lies the problem. Where is the line? And how do you police it? It’s very subjective. Even a more established and mainstream gin such as Beefeater has a distinctive citrussy taste.”

The industry is split as to whether a tightening of definitions would be a good thing. It’s a bit like the current handball rule in football – the subjective nature of interpretation is undesirable, but the alternatives could be a whole lot worse.

Emma Hooper, marketing manager at Wemyss which produces Darnley’s gin, sums up the issue well. “We think some rules could be beneficial but only if they are there to guide and are made with the consumer in mind,“ she says. “They shouldn’t hamper creativity or innovation.

“Using unusual and exotic botanicals can make your gin stand out but ultimately it has to be a smooth and balanced gin. There’s no use in having an unusual ingredient if the product suffers.”

Over at Beefeater, master distiller Desmond Payne agrees. “Experimentation and innovation continue to be the cornerstone of everything we do,” he says. “If you take our Burrough’s Reserve, which was recently launched as a second edition, we have created a sipping gin which has been rested in hand-selected red and white bordeaux wine casks and released in small batches. The ageing process results in an aromatic pale copper gin that showcases the best qualities of both the gin and the fine bordeaux casks.”

Perhaps the most interesting take on all of this comes from David T Smith, who argues that, if anything, the rules shouldn’t be tightened but loosened in one crucial respect. At the moment the rules require that the base spirit is distilled to 96%. The higher the distillate, the less flavour it has, and spirit at this strength is known as neutral grain spirit. It is effectively a blank canvas on to which the botanicals add flavour.

But Smith points out that, to get a spirit that strong, you must use a column or continuous still because a pot still distillate can’t practicably reach that strength.

“You should be able to make gin in a pot still,” he says. “That’s what they do in America and they are using all sorts of unusual things to make the spirit. Apples, oats, rice – you name it. And to use the art metaphor, the difference is you’re starting with a sepia canvass rather than a blank one, but you can still paint amazing pictures on it.”

The reservations are there, then, but overall there is considerable excitement about where gin is going and what it can offer, providing its excesses are reined in.

“Gin is being repositioned as a premium drink, not least because it is relatively expensive to make,” says Carl Reavey, content creation manager at Bruichladdich, maker of the Botanist.

“Let’s face it, vodka is boring. Lots of folk now drink gin – and mostly with tonic, ice and a slice. Sorry if that sounds a bit dull, but it seems to be true. Then there are loads of aspirational gin drinks, from cocktails through foraged serves through to the glorious Martini. It’s all very interesting and sometimes exciting, but these are still minority sports. It’s a bit like cricket – great fun if you know what you are doing.”

Desmond Payne agrees. “The global ‘ginaissance’ continues to excite the category and its effect on sales will be long lasting, with an underlying interest in new, high-end gins,” he says.

“With recent performances in mind we see no reason to predict anything other than continued positive growth over the next 12 months.”