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Base: Rye

The base spirit of a gin refers to the distillate to which botanicals were added. It’s helpful to think about the base spirit as a vodka-like spirit that the distiller used as a starting point— a blank canvas upon which the gin was designed.But choice of base alone doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to taste it. Depending on choices the distiller makes, such as how many times the base is distilled, or to what strength it is distilled to— there might be no character at all coming from the base spirit.

Rye Base

Rye base spirits often require a bit of barley malt to get started. Once it gets going a rye base can be one of the most distinctive and characterful bases a distiller can choose.Many people describe Rye once distilled and aged as having a slightly sour, slightly peppery character. Neutral rye base spirit can taste even more botanical. Notes of allspice, caraway, peppermint, black pepper, or even grains of paradise aren’t unheard of. It can be complex if a distiller chooses to utilize the rye character as part of the gin. Furthermore, Rye base can also have a lovely texture and rich viscosity. The mouthfeel and character are two of the primary reasons a distiller might choose to use rye spirit as a base of their gin.Rye base for a long time was not very common, because a shortage of rye growers led to the “Great Rye-shortage of the mid-10’s.” Fortunately, increased demand led to an increase in rye growers. Now gin distillers are discovering rye more and more as a way to add unique character to their gins.

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  • Search by flavor
  • 2023 Awards Winners
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  • Gin Reviews
    • All 800+ Gin Reviews (filterable)
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    • Gins by base spirit
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      • Gins distilled from sugarcane
      • Gins distilled from Corn
      • Gins distilled from Grape
      • Gins distilled from Rye
    • Gins by style
      • Juniper-forward Classic gin
      • Contemporary style gins
      • Barrel rested gins
      • Old Tom style gins
      • Navy Strength Gins
      • Flavored and Pink Gins
    • Gins by region/place
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • England
      • Canada
      • Japan
      • Australia
    • Gins by Botanicals
  • Other Reviews
    • Tonic Water Reviews
    • Ready to Drink Reviews
    • Aquavit Reviews
    • Non-Alcoholic Gin Reviews
  • Articles
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