An introduction to gin

Go to section: London Dry gin | Contemporary gin | Wine gin | Pink gin | Barrel-aged gin | Other infused gin

Gin, very simply, is a neutral spirit that has been re-distilled with juniper and other natural flavourings, known as ‘botanicals’ because they come from botanical origin. But it’s a huge and widely misunderstood category by both consumers and producers alike, so let’s dive in.

Gin has exploded in recent years because the barrier to entry is very low. To make gin, you don’t actually have to distill a spirit from a raw ingredient like grain, cane or fruit, you simply have to buy some industrial strength ethanol from a large commercial distillery and infuse it with botanicals. As such, there are now somewhere in the vicinity of 800 gins available on the market in Australia, varying wildly in style and quality – although mostly quite expensive compared to stalwart imports like Gordon’s and Beefeater. 

An important point to make about gin is that if it doesn’t include juniper, the piney-flavoured berry native to alpine Europe, it’s not gin. Even if other flavours are dominant, juniper must be present. 

For the purposes of this guide, most gins will be divided into two categories: London Dry style and Contemporary, but there’s also the newer category wine gins to explore, plus a couple of smaller, more esoteric categories. 

Four Pillars courtesy of Visit Victoria.

London Dry gin

London Dry style gin is a highly misunderstood term. Firstly, it does not have to be made in London, or even England. As such, many Australian gins are marketed as London Dry. However, to be considered London Dry style, juniper must be the dominant flavour, with other botanicals playing a supporting role. Many Australian producers stick the London Dry moniker on their labels without actually understanding this key fact, so we will endeavor to clarify where possible.

The term London Dry does, of course, come from London, England. The term evolved because prior to the invention of the column still, many gins were quite sweet. Many gins, like traditional Dutch Genever, also had the obvious character of grain in the spirit, as opposed to the entirely neutral spirit (essentially vodka) that can be derived from column distillation, so London Dry meant a gin that was made with a neutral spirit and had no sweetness. Old Tom gin is sometimes produced in Australia, although in small quantities, as a throwback to these sweeter, more robust styles of gin that predated crisp, clean London Dry.

Almost all famous imported brands of gin are made in the London Dry style, and Australia produces some absolutely cracking gins of this kind, such as Never Never and MGC.

Contemporary gin

Contemporary gin has no real basis in law or history, it’s just a term we use for more modern styles of gin in which juniper is not the dominant flavour. This is by far the biggest category of gins produced in Australia, and is where Australia’s unique native botanicals like lemon myrtle and pepperberry shine. Many contemporary gins in Australia follow a pretty similar, and often not very nuanced, approach to the use of these botanicals, but there is also some outstanding creativity and innovation in the space, from the use of olive oil and seaweed for savoury, salty gins to tropical fruits and macadamia nuts for fun, fruity and vibrant styles not seen anywhere else in the world. It’s a crowded category, so we hope to pick the best and most interesting of the bunch to highlight.

Wine gin: This is an exciting new category of fruit-infused gin that has been entirely invented by Australian producers in recent years. Pioneered by Four Pillars with their Bloody Shiraz gin, it was designed as an Australian alternative to Sloe Gin, the traditional British style of gin infused with native sloe berries. But while sloe berries don’t grow much in Australia, we have excellent wine in abundance. Wine-infused gins tend to be drier and more complex than traditional sloe gins, reflecting the modern desire for less sugary drinks. As such, the category has exploded, and is one of the few examples of a truly original Australian style of spirit to emerge from the modern craft distilling boom.

Pink gin: Pink gin is a traditional style of gin based on the popular drink of gin with bitters. These days, pink gin is infused with a range of various fruits, flowers and spices to give it the distinctive pink colour, and some also have significant amounts of sugar added. There are many pink gins made locally, some infused with native botanicals like Lilly Pilly for their pink colour, and now new brand Bellicose dedicated to the style.

Barrel-aged gin: As is in the name, these are gins that have spent time maturing in oak. An esoteric style that’s not popular with consumers, it’s nonetheless quite common among Australian producers.

Other infused gins: This category includes any gin that has been infused with various flavours post-distillation, of which there is a wide range, from honey and other sweeteners to fruit, berries and spices. It’s a wide, wild world of gin out there, and we’ll do our best to unpack it for you through our Halliday spirits reviews.

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Top image: Husk Distillery courtesy of Destination NSW