Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin Terms

There’s a chance you’ve imbibed gin before and wondered what gives it the floral, piney, herbal, botanical flavor profile you know and love.

There are rules guaranteeing that when you crack open a bottle of London dry, Plymouth, Old Tom, or some random artisanal gin, it tastes like…well, gin.

If you didn’t already know, there is a legal definition (in E.U. countries) for what a gin is. It must begin as a neutral spirit distilled from a natural ingredient. Examples include potatoes, grapes, wheat, barley, corn, and more. As expected, every gin must be flavored with juniper berries as its prominent flavor (it wouldn’t be gin otherwise, right?).

To round out the flavor profile, it can also contain other herbs, botanicals, flowers, fruits, and spices. There are no set ingredients besides the aforementioned juniper. That’s why such a broad range of flavors can be found in gin. There are a few more rules, but these are the most important.

Now that you have learned some of the basics of gin, it’s time to take more of a deep dive into this popular spirit. Below, you’ll see all the terms you should learn if you want to have a semi-intelligent conversation about the juniper-based spirit at the next cocktail party you attend. Keep scrolling to see them all.

London Dry Gin

While there are a handful of different gin types, the most popular is London dry gin. Made with juniper berries and other herbs and botanicals, it’s distilled to a high alcohol content before being proofed down and bottled and has no sweeteners added to it. As its name implies, London dry gin is known for its crisp, balanced, dry flavor.

Juniper

It’s not a legal gin if it’s not flavored with juniper. This evergreen shrub makes cones (that strongly resemble berries) that have a distinct, herbal, pine needle aroma and flavor. It’s why your favorite gin has such a strong flavor of pine trees.

Botanicals

Botanicals are the reason your gin tastes the way it does. The natural ingredients like fruits, seeds, and roots give it the herbal, earthy, botanical aroma, and flavor you expect.

Ethanol

When you distill corn, barley, potatoes, grapes, wheat, or other grains or fruits, you end up with a neutral spirit known as ethanol. This pure, flavorless spirit will eventually become gin (or vodka if you don’t add botanicals).

Vapor Infusion

Vapor infusion is one of the processes distillers use to add botanical aromas and flavors to their neutral spirit. Instead of adding the ingredients during distillation, the juniper and other ingredients are placed in a basket that sits inside a still. The aroma and flavor are added solely through the vapor that travels through the basket.

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