{"id":64788,"date":"2025-02-02T19:09:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-02T19:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alcohol\/gin-processing-botanicals-used-in-gin-distillation\/"},"modified":"2025-02-02T19:09:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-02T19:09:26","slug":"gin-processing-botanicals-used-in-gin-distillation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=64788","title":{"rendered":"Gin processing | Botanicals used in gin distillation"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\nTo produce distilled gin<\/span><\/a> requires a 3 step process – first, a base or neutral spirit<\/span><\/a> is made or collected, then it is flavored through various botanicals, and then it is diluted with water.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

I. Neutral
\nalcohol:<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nNeutral alcohol or
\nneutral spirit is the ethyl alcohol<\/span><\/a> that has 95% of ABV. It is made from
\ngrains, grapes, potatoes, molasses, and other botanicals. The vast majority of
\ngin is made from neutral alcohol.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

II. Production of
\ngin:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

\nThis step is also called an extraction method. In this step, the neutral
\nalcohol is distilled with chosen botanicals to extract their essential oils and
\nso flavor the neutral alcohol.\u00a0 Different distillers use different
\ndistillation methods for extracting the flavor of botanicals. Out of these
\nmethods, there are two main methods –<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steep and Boil
\nmethod:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\nThis is a traditional and most common method of distillation. A pot
\nstill is filled with the base spirit or neutral alcohol (which has been reduced
\nin strength with water to 50% ABV) along with Juniper berries and other
\nbotanicals. The pot still comes in contact with heat. The steam of alcohol
\nbecomes saturated with the flavor of berries and botanicals. Once it completed,
\nwater is added to reduce the distillate to bottling strength.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Vapor infusion
\nmethod:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIn this method,
\nthe mix of juniper berries and botanicals do not come directly in contact with
\nthe neutral alcohol. Instead, they are placed either in a still above alcohol
\nor in a perforated chamber. When alcohol is boiled, the vapor rises up and
\ninfuses with botanicals. The infused vapor then condenses into liquid and water
\nis added to reduce the alcohol to bottling strength.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nSometimes these
\ntwo methods can be combined, where botanicals are first steeped and boiled and
\nthen the same botanicals are vapor infused. For example, Henrick’s gin, in
\nwhich both these methods are used.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

New gin production
\nmethods:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIn recent years,
\nseveral new production methods have been developed.<\/span><\/div>\n

Vacuum
\ndistillation method:<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIn this method,
\nthe base spirit and botanicals are steeped and boiled, but it takes under
\nvacuum. As a result, the temperature is reduced to 85 – 95o<\/sup>c. At
\nthis lower temperature, the botanicals are cooked less than they would be in a
\nnormal pot still, resulting in a fresher flavored gin.<\/span><\/div>\n

Individual
\nbotanical distillation:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

\nIn this method, each botanical is steeped individually and blended
\ntogether to make the final gin. This method allows more control in the
\ndistillation process resulting in better gin production.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One-shot
\ndistillation:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\n<\/p>\n

In this distillation process, the botanicals distilled only for a single
\ntime. After distilling, it is diluted with water to reach the alcoholic strength required for bottling.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Multi-shot or
\nconcentrated distillation:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

\nIn this method, a greater quantity of botanicals is distilled to produce a more concentrated
\nflavor. After distillation, neutral spirit and water are added.<\/span><\/p>\n

III. Diluting and
\nfiltering:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

\nDistilled alcohol is left to rest for a few hours in the vat. Then its
\nalcohol content is gradually reduced by dilution. Cold filtration is carried
\nout by chilling the spirit up to -2<\/span>o<\/span><\/sup>c. Then the spirit is
\npassed through a cellulose filter to remove any particles in suspension. Other
\nfiltration techniques such as activated carbon are also used.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the Gin
\nBotanicals?<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\nGin botanicals are the main ingredients to make gin. These botanicals
\nare natural ingredients from which oils and flavors are extracted. There are
\nmore than hundreds of botanicals used for\u00a0<\/span>flavoring gin.
\nFrom those, the following are most commonly used –\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Juniper berries:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIt is the most
\nessential botanical used in the production of gin. It is a female seed cone of
\nvarious species of juniper. It is mainly found in Italy, Serbia, Macedonia, and
\nIndia. The flavor comes from the essential oils within the seeds of berries.
\nThe three flavors are – alpha-pinene, p-terpineol, and camphor. Juniper berries
\nhave a bitter-sweet taste.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n\"What<\/a><\/div>\n

Angelica root:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\nAngelica has a
\nmusky, nutty, damp Rooty, sweet flavor with a piney and dry edge. It holds the
\nvolatile flavors of other botanicals and binds them together giving a substance
\nof gin.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Lemon and Orange
\npeel:<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nLemon peel
\ncontains a high proportion of the fruit’s flavor. Lemon peels give fresh,
\ncitrusy, juicy and lemony flavors. After peeling, lemon peels are dried before
\ninfusion and distillation. Orange peel is also dried before distillation. It
\ngives oil-rich rind and citrus aroma.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Orris root:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIt has a very
\nperfumed character and like angelica root can help fix aromas and flavors
\nwithin the gin. These roots are harvested after three to four years of
\nplantation and stored for three to four years before use in distillation. Orris
\nroots are ground into powder before use. It is very bitter and tastes of Parma
\nviolets.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Coriander seeds:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIt is found in
\nMorocco, Romania, Moldavia, Bulgaria, and Russia. The essential oil in
\ncoriander seed is linalool. When the seed is crushed, it releases a strong
\nlemony citrus aroma and flavor.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Cassia:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIt is a member of
\nthe cinnamon family. It is the bark of a tree named Cinnamomum Cassia found in
\nSouthern China. The bark from the tree is harvested, stripped, and dried. It has
\na hotter and sweeter taste. In gin, Cassia gives earthy and warming
\nflavor.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Almond:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\nTwo types of
\nalmond – sweet and bitter, are used in gin. It has a high essential oil content
\nand adds almond or marzipan, nutty, soapy and spicy flavor with a mouthfeel to
\ngin.<\/span><\/div>\n

Cardamom:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIt adds a spicy,
\ncitrusy, almost eucalyptus flavor to gin. It has two varieties – black and
\ngreen. The green variety is mostly used, as it has a very fine texture.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Cubeb berries:<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nCubeb berries
\ntaste like pepper and allspice berries. In gin, it is used for aromatic
\nproperties.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Licorice:<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIt is a hard
\nfibrous root of the licorice plant. It is ground into a powder before
\ndistillation. It gives a licorice flavor with a light, fresh, bittersweet,
\nwoody-earthy taste.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Nutmeg:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n