How do distillers control the flavor in gin?

The flavor of a gin is the result of a many factors and many decisions a distiller can make after they choose the botanicals.

In other words, a distiller could take the same handful of botanicals and have a completely different product than another using the same raw materials.

For the sake of this exercise we’re going to begin with a Neutral Grain Spirit. Imagine a distiller starts with a clean, high proof vodka (distillers don’t have to start this way, but it is one way that many gins begin).

#1 Get the ratio right ⚖️

An oft cited benchmark for the botanical quantity is 20-35 grams per liter. Because gin is defined by requiring juniper to be gin, most gin recipes will start at 60% juniper by volume. I hope it goes without saying here that if you ask ten distillers for their recipes, you’ll get ten different answers (provided they would share!)

There’s a late decision that comes into play here: dilution. If a distiller is looking to do a multi-shot, they’ll up the botanical quantity considerably. More on that in a moment…

From here the artistry really begins. Some will express their ratios relative to the juniper.

For example if you use 20g of juniper, you would do exactly half that in coriander (10g). Then for other core botanicals like angelica, cassia, or cinnamon you might go to one tenth your juniper (1g). Beyond that some botanicals are bold and you might go as low as one hundreth of your juniper quantity.

However, it’s in these smaller quantities that a gin really begins to distinguish itself. It’s hard to generalize at this level.

[Further reading: Reddit post about recipes, Home Distiller forum, Distillique, Love Brewing]

#2 A basket? 🧺 Or a long soak 🛁

A distiller can choose to macerate the botanicals in spirit or suspend them above the ethanol in a basket.

First, maceration sometimes means putting the botanicals in a tea bag and soaking them in the spirit, on a still, at room temperature. Many brands tout their maceration time— think Beefeater‘s 24 hour soak— before they are removed and the still is turned on.

Yet others will add them directly to the spirit at the time of distillation.

In another technique, often seen as “vapor infused,” a distiller will suspend the botanicals above the spirit, so that upon heating the evaporated ethanol will pass through the ingredients. This steam volatilizes the aromatic compounds in the botanicals.

The basket also varies based on distiller. High in the still, will increase the temperature and result in more volatiles. A lower placement can mean a slower process. Varied placements can be another tool the vapor distiller applies to get the desired flavors from their botanicals.

Bombay Sapphire and others in the Bombay Lineup are distilled in this way.

#3 👭 Together? Or not…

While those looking to make a London Dry Gin will not have a decision here— the process designation requires all botanicals to be distilled together.

However, a distiller could choose to distill each ingredient individually. Allowing them to perfect the cuts they make, tailored to that individual botanical. In this case, the distiller will need to blend the initial distillates.

Or alternatively, the distiller does them all together. This means that the botanicals all need to taste at their best at every cut the distiller decides to keep.

Aside on Cuts ✂️:

Distilling is based on time.

Imagine you start cooking some garlic on the stove. Capture the aroma of the first five seconds after you put the garlic in some oil, and set it aside.

Now let it turn gently golden in the pan. Capture those next few minutes of aroma and set it aside.

Finally, you leave it on too long. The garlic burns. Oh no! Capture that aroma and set it aside.

Imagine you’re assembling a single aroma from these three moments. Would you only keep the middle? Would you toss the last one?

With a little bit of suspended disbelief, this is essentially what a distiller does when they make a cut. They’re choosing what parts of the cooking process taste best for the mix or individual botanical they’re using.

If you’re fermenting and distilling from scratch— you will have things called foreshots and heads in that first cut that you need to toss, as well as some bitter and undesirable notes in the tails, that distillers sometimes recycle in future distillations or simply toss.

#4 Dilution🚰 and shots

In the more traditional single-shot approach, the botanicals come off the still and are merely diluted with water.

In the multi-shot method, the botanical strength is dialed up and it comes off the still at a higher than desired intensity. The distiller will dilute that highly intense botanical distillate with some more of the spirit they started with. Then, they will dilute it with water.

There is no established quality differences between the two methods. It’s often a matter of practicality— multiple distillations on a pot still can be energy and time intensive.

For a great, deeper read, Gin Magazine published an article on the two approaches.

How do distillers control the flavor in their gins?

It’s a complex process that each distiller will apply their own technical and creative skills to. In short, even with a blank canvas, a distiller can paint anyway they choose!

It starts with a neutral spirit.

Then the distillers choose the botanicals and the ratios.

You decide how you’re going to bring those botanicals flavors to the spirit— maceration, vapor, or even both. Together or separate.

Then the distiller makes the right cuts. And dilutes it to the proper strength.

While this is overly simplistic— entire books have been written about distillation — I hope this helps you better understand some of the decisions distillers are required to make when designing and developing a gin.