Frank McHugh and James Cagney make alcohol in a bathroom in a scene from the film ‘The Roaring … [+]
The market for new gins right now seems to be where the market for single malt Scotches was twenty years ago and American bourbons ten years ago (vodka still rules at the top of sales in the U.S.). And these new gins are not coming solely from traditional producers like the Netherlands and the UK. It seems everyone from Vermont to New Zealand is getting on the bandwagon, and, since gin can be made with any number of botanicals, the field is open wider than ever before. Here’s my second round-up of new gins of interest.
Engines Gin is an Italian import with a sleek packaging.
ENGINE PURE ORGANC GIN ($42.99)—“Fueling the Dream” is the motto of this very dry gin from Torino Distillati in Langhe, Italy. Like so many Italian designs, the “bottle” for Engine is actually a tin can that looks like a gas additive, and, in red, white and blue, it’s sleek and very cool. The gin inside favors juniper, lemon, licorice, rose and sage, at 42% alcohol, and makes a perfect Martini for those who like them bone dry.
LIGHTHOUSE GIN ($49.99)—Crafted by New Zealand’s first female head distiller, Rachel Hall, in Cape Palliser (which has a lighthouse), for the Sonoma Valley-based Foley Family, it is known for its use of Yen Ben Lemons, known for their strong flavor and high acidity, along with eight other botanicals. It’s double distilled as a super-premium, very smooth style in a bottle that represents the Fresnel lens layered prism that concentrates light into a lighthouse’s beacon.
Mr Pickles Gin nis named after the owners’ dog.
MR. PICKLES ($34.99)—You’ve got to admire a distiller, Ben Green, who names his gin after a pit bull rescue dog, even if the claim that it “reflects the personality of the distillery’s gregarious mascot and Oregon’s majestic mountains” may be a stretch. In any case, it’s made from 100% winter wheat from the nearby Camas Country Mill, triple distilled, with the botanicals introduced in the final distillation. There are 12 botanicals used in addition to juniper. The bottle is very beautifully decorated in a flowery style with Mr. Pickles’s portrait thereon.
Bar Hill is a New England-style gin.
BAR HILL ($39.99)—It all sounds very Vermont, with a beekeeper and distiller bonding in 2011 toproduce a New England-style gin. Todd Hardie cared for bee hives all over the world, and Ryan Christiansen started in Hardwick with a single 15-gallon direct-fire copper still and sent its gin to competitions in New York and Hong King, winning Double Gold and a Best Gin of the Year awards. By the end of 2012 they were making just three batches per day, then in 2019 moved to Montpelier to build a new state-of-the-art distillery. It is unique in that it is distilled entirely with juniper and raw honey, whose aromatics were carried by the bees. They also make a Tom Cat gin ($54.99) that is aged six to nine months in American oak.
