How It's Made: Gin

Summary

This video takes viewers behind the scenes at a microdistillery, showcasing the intricate process of crafting London dry gin. The distillery handcrafts each batch using juniper berries, spices like coriander, cardamom, and angelica root, as well as raw parsnips for a unique earthy flavor. Through careful distillation in a copper still and precise monitoring of temperature and alcohol levels, the gin is slowly perfected. No artificial sweeteners or colorings are added, and every bottle is manually filled, sealed, and labeled. This traditional method of gin production harks back to a time before mass commercial distilleries.

Takeaways

• 😀 Gin is a distilled alcoholic spirit, primarily flavored with juniper berries, and used in popular drinks like martinis and gin and tonics.
• 😀 The word 'gin' comes from 'jenever,' the Dutch word for juniper, highlighting its key flavor component.
• 😀 Microdistilleries produce gin in small batches, avoiding artificial sweeteners, flavorings, or colorings, emphasizing a natural approach to production.
• 😀 The gin-making process begins with juniper berries and other spices like angelica root, coriander, lemon peel, and cardamom.
• 😀 A 95% alcohol distilled from fermented grain serves as the base spirit, which is diluted with spring water to reach 40% alcohol content.
• 😀 The distillation process takes about six hours, carefully heating the mixture while monitoring the temperature to prevent the batch from being ruined.
• 😀 Only the 'heart' of the distillation, the middle section, is collected, ensuring a higher-quality gin with the desired flavor profile.
• 😀 The distillery infuses the gin with raw parsnips to impart an earthy flavor and floral aroma, which adds complexity to the final product.
• 😀 After infusion, the gin is filtered and stored before being diluted with water to reduce the alcohol content to 43%.
• 😀 Bottling is done by hand, with only six bottles filled at a time, and each bottle is individually corked, labeled, and sealed with a shrink sleeve.
• 😀 This gin is classified as London Dry Gin, following traditional gin-making methods and containing no added sweeteners or colorings.

Q & A

What is gin and what is it primarily flavored with?

Gin is a distilled alcoholic spirit primarily flavored with juniper berries, which give it its distinct taste.

Where does the word 'gin' come from?

The word 'gin' is believed to come from 'jenever', the Dutch word for juniper.

What are some popular mixed drinks made with gin?

Some popular mixed drinks made with gin include the martini, the Singapore sling, and the gin and tonic.

What is the process used at this microdistillery to produce gin?

At this microdistillery, gin is produced in small batches using a slower distillation process, without any added sweeteners, artificial flavorings, or colorings.

What ingredients are used in this distillery's gin production?

The gin is made with juniper berries, dried angelica plant roots, coriander seeds, lemon peel, and cardamom.

How is the alcohol distilled at this microdistillery?

The alcohol is distilled in a 90-gallon copper still, starting with a tasteless spirit distilled from fermented grain, which is diluted with spring water to lower the alcohol content to 40%. Then, it is redistilled with the spices to give it its distinct gin flavor.

What is the key to ensuring the correct distillation temperature?

The distillation process is carefully monitored to ensure the temperature does not reach 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which would cause the water to evaporate and ruin the batch.

Why does the distillery collect only the middle portion of the distillation?

Only the middle portion, known as the 'heart' of the distillation, is collected because it contains the desired alcohol content and flavor.

What additional step does this distillery take in their gin production?

This distillery adds raw parsnips to the gin, which gives it an earthy flavor and subtle floral aroma.

How is the gin bottled at this microdistillery?

The gin is bottled by hand, with the distillery filling six bottles at a time. Each bottle is corked manually, and a plastic sleeve is applied and heat-shrunk. The bottles are labeled one by one using a hand-operated labeling machine.