It is unsweetened and has a stronger flavour than London dry. It also has a strong citrus scent, and the combination of seven botanicals may result in a peppery aftertaste. They produce a great earthy note, making it ideal for Martinis and Negronis. Plymouth gin was granted Protected Geographical Status (PGI) under European Union law in 2008. This meant that only gins made in the southwest English city of Plymouth with a minimum alc./vol. of 37.5% and a pronounced juniper taste may be labelled as Plymouth gins. Examples of Plymouth include, Plymouth Navy Strength, Mr King’s 1842 Recipe, and Plymouth Fruit Cup. Genever Genever, ancient Dutch or Flemish for “juniper”, is the closest modern descendant of the 1500s Gin and is frequently sweeter than classic British Gin. Genever is also known as jenever and geneva. It’s made by fermenting rye, malted barley and corn, distilling it in pot stills and then redistilling at low proof with juniper berries and coriander seeds. This results in a full-bodied gin with distinct malt and juniper flavours. This drink is not appropriate for cocktail making since its flavour overpowers the other ingredients. It tastes best straight and cold. Genever is classified into various sorts or sub-categories: Jonge (Young) Genever: This originally developed at the turn of the century, with the introduction of continuous column stills and the scarcity as well as high expense of malted grains, resulting in a new or youthful type of Genever. It contains up to 15% malted wine, neutral grain spirit, and no more than 10 grammes (0.35 oz) of sugar per litre (0.26 US gallons). As a result, the spirit is dry, clear or barely coloured, and medium bodied, akin to a British style Dry Gin. Oude (Old) Genever: This is the classic or old form of Genever, with a minimum of 15% but up to 50% malted wine, a maximum of 20 grammes (0.7 oz) of sugar added every litre (0.26 US gallons), and a minimum ABV of 35%. Although it is not required, it is often barrel aged for 1 to 3 years and is amber in colour, fragrant, sweet, and has an oily texture. This is the type that most people think of when they think of Genever and, while sweeter, is possibly closer in style to Whisky. Korenwijn (Corn Wine) Genever This is the closest variant of Genever to the 16th century. It is created from 51-70% malted barley wine (and no other type of grain), is typically distilled many times, may contain up to 20 gm (0.7 oz) of sugar per litre (0.26 US gallons), and must have a minimum ABV of 38%. It is matured in hardwood barrels no bigger than 700-liters (185 US gallons) for a minimum of one year, with barrel ageing continuing up to ten years. It is dark amber in colour, malty, full-bodied, sweet, rich, and has a strong flavour. Graanjenever (Grain Genever) Genever, in addition to neutral grain spirit, may incorporate spirit manufactured from sugar-based alcohol, a frequent component employed during the First World War when grain was scarce. To distinguish Genever distilled only from grain, it may be labelled as “Graanjenever” and is most typically column distilled and manufactured without, or with very little, malted grains. Cold compounded gin Gins are prepared from a neutral spirit base that has already been distilled from fermented carbohydrates. The botanicals are often added to the basic spirit before being redistilled as the following stage in the process. Compound Gins skip the second step of redistillation, with the botanicals or botanical flavourings simply added to the high proof base spirit and let to infuse at room temperature, hence the sometimes-used full-term “Cold Compounding.” The resulting spirit is subsequently purified and diluted with water to bottling strength. Gin remained a rough and ready drink until 1830, when the coffey column was created and paved the way for more refined and purer spirit manufacturing. Cold compounding was a common method for adding flavour. The ensuing development in higher-quality spirit manufacturing ushered in the London Dry Gin style, while cold compounding went out of favour, with Gin transitioning from a working-class drink to one at home in the drawing halls of the middle classes. Examples of this“inferior”gin include,Desert Juniper Gin, Tappers Darkside Gin, Bathtub Navy Side Gin and Cascade Mountain Gin *Column distillation or Coffey still: is similar to stacking pot distillations on top of one another. The heat source (steam) in this process resides inside the still, flowing from the bottom through its various chambers and up to the top. Wash enters the column towards the top and sinks down through the chambers in a liquid condition. The ethanol rises back through the chambers as it warms and evaporates, condensing and re-evaporating at each stage. *Pot still distillation: The wash warms in the main chamber during pot distillation until boiling ethanol vapour rises to the still’s head and leaves through the lyne arm. The vapour then travels through the cooling coil, where it condenses and flows as a liquid into a collection tank. 14|LUXEBOOK|JUNE 2023 JUNE 2023 |LUXEBOOK|15
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