Gin types

But let's start from the beginning: London gin, or London dry gin, is certainly one of the best-known and most widespread varieties in Europe. Although the name suggests it, London Dry Gin does not necessarily have to come from London. However, it is a distilled gin and may only be flavoured with natural ingredients that are all added at the same time - the timing of the addition of fruit and herbs plays an important role here. No additional flavourings or sugar may be added afterwards. Even if it may seem so, London Dry Gin is not a protected designation of origin. Opinions differ as to where the 'London' in the name comes from. However, the origin is thought to lie in the fact that the very strict requirements for the production of this type of gin were established in 18th century London. A relatively 'young' London Dry Gin is the Sipsmith London Dry Gin, which has been produced at the first gin still operated in London for 200 years.

Dry gin must also be distilled. Only natural or nature-identical (i.e. identical to a corresponding naturally occurring substance in the case of synthetic production) spices and flavourings may be used. In contrast to London Dry Gin, the time at which the botanicals (= plants/plant extracts) are added is irrelevant, so they can also be added at different times. The use of nature-identical colourings is also permitted. The name suffix 'dry' does not necessarily refer to the flavour of the gin, but to the fact that it may not be sweetened afterwards. One Scottish dry gin is The Botanist Islay Dry Gin from the Bruichladdich distillery.

Sweetened Old Tom gin is an original form of gin that fell into oblivion due to the spread of the many different dry gins. In the 18th century, the fusel oils produced during distillation made gin so bitter, almost undrinkable, that sugar was added to it to make it drinkable. This made Old Tom a favourite among gins. Haymans Old Tom Gin has been produced according to the original recipe since the 1870s and Tanqueray also produced a limited edition Old Tom Gin. The Cream Gin or Cream of the Valley Gin was created in a similar way: Here, cream or milk was added to the bitter-tasting distillate to soften it.

Cordial Gin , which is rooted in the 19th century, has also been in the business for a long time. It is, so to speak, the successor to Old Tom gin: distillation technology was already better developed at this time, resulting in a less bitter spirit. Cordial was still sweetened, hence the name: a 'cordial' is a liqueur.

Let's stay with the gin varieties without sugar. This includes the New Western Dry Gin. It is a new, modern variant in which the juniper flavour takes a back seat. Instead, cucumber or rose flavours, for example, or citrus notes are in the foreground. However, the juniper flavour must always be present so as not to forfeit the right to be called gin. A good example of this is Hendrick's Gin and a German representative of this category is The Duke Munich Dry Gin.

An interesting gin trend comes from Spain: pink gin. As the name suggests, these are rose-coloured gins infused with strawberries or raspberries.

Reserve gin is a relatively new type of gin. As with wine, the 'reserve' in the name refers to the barrel storage. Gin is not usually stored in barrels, but only left to rest in neutral glass or steel containers. However, reserve gin is stored in wooden barrels, similar to other spirits such as whisky or brown rum, and thus absorbs flavours from these. In some cases, another drink, such as brandy, was previously stored in these barrels. As the production of reserve gin takes more time and also involves higher production costs, the price of the resulting gin also increases due to the storage in barrels.

A completely different production method is used for compound gin: For this, the individual botanicals are prepared in neutral alcohol (not distilled) and then mixed together. This often gives it a cloudy colour and, in the absence of filtering, the taste also changes over time. Compound gin is also known as 'bathtub gin'. This name comes from the fact that compound gin is also a popular way to make your own gin, for example in the bathtub.