How does a distiller get ahead of the competition? As I stress in my Workshops, that distiller has to offer something unique; something that no other distiller is offering. A case in point is Tanqueray’s portfolio of flavored Gins. Instead of adding more botanicals ($$$) and making a bigger, bolder Gin, Tanqueray has opted to add fruit flavorings. Recently while perusing the shelves at my local SLGA store (which is closing soon), I spied a bottle of Tanqueray Black Currant Gin on sale. To be fair, black currant is a difficult fruit to work with. They contain a bitter substance called anthocyanin (up to 250 mg/100 g of currants). I never buy black currants from the store and snack on them. So, why would I buy a black currant Gin? As for the Gin, it did not rate very high with me at all. Given the anthocyanin angle, I am not surprised. In fact, the Gin almost had a subtle grape flavor note to it. Maybe the flavor company had to add a trace amount of grape to the flavor compound? Maybe if the Gin was mixed with some soda or ginger ale it would be more palatable. But drinking it with just a wee splash of water just does not work for me and my taste buds. Sorry Tanqueray, you tried, but you came up short.
I normally steer clear of commercial London Dry Gins. The other day my wife brought home a bottle of Tanqueray Rangpur Gin because the supply of my homemade Gin was depleted (geez! wonder how that happened?). I had a sip of Rangpur and was blown away! The citrus profile is beyond delicious. The label hints that the rangpur lime is rare. It is actually not.
The rangpur is a natural cross between a female citron fruit and a male mandarin fruit. In fact, our citrus type fruits all can trace their origins back to the citron fruit.
citron fruit
The rangpur lime grows in south east Asia and even in the USA. The rangpur lime is called canton lemon in China; hime lemon in Japan; limao galego in Brazil; and mandarin lime in the USA.
rangpur lime
If you are a craft distiller or even a home distiller, try to source some of these limes. The Gin you create will be truly elegant!
Do you fancy bold citrus notes in your Gin? If you do, keep your eyes open for this amazing Gin its iconic green and white box. Nikka distilling has a solid reputation for Japanese whisky, so when I first saw this Gin product, I just had to have it. I reasoned that if Nikka put as much attention into making this Gin as they do into making their Whisky, it would be top shelf good. Don’t fuss over the name Coffey. That is the type of still Nikka uses to create its base alcohol for making the Gin. I have seen Nikka Gin in BC and Alberta to date. Prices range from $68 to about $78. I drink this Gin with just a wee splash of water to open it up. The distinct citrus comes from yuzu, kabosu and amanatsu Japanese citrus fruits. The bit of spice on the finish comes from sansho pepper. Treat yourself right. Get a bottle of Nikka Gin. Enjoy!
I recently received a bottle of this fine Gin from Distillerie Vent du Nord in Baie Comeau, Quebec. This creator of this fine nectar took my Workshop in 2017.
I drink all my Gins with just a splash of water to open up the flavors. In the case of this Gin, I get a wonderful hit of sweet earthiness likely from Angelica Root and Licorice Root. There is also some very pleasing citrus woven into this Gin. The finish is smooth with just a hint of spice.
I could drink this Gin every day, all day. I am giving it a rating of 96/100 on the Prohibition University Gin Scale.
If you are in Quebec, you will find this Gin at any SAQ store. Outside of the Province, you will have to ask your local private liquor store to contact Distillerie Vent du Nord and arrange for a shipment. This will trigger some provincial liquor taxes based on the wholesale selling price.
In our Gin Master classes, there are always plenty of questions about Gin distillation parameters. My Microbiology Prof from Heriot Watt University and one of her pH.D. candidates just released a paper that confirms a lot of my practical hands-on observations across the 100+ Gin creations I have done either myself or in a Gin Master class.
I will skip the heavy academic content and summarize the findings in a simple way:
The more Juniper you add to your recipe formulation, the more intense the Juniper notes will be in the final Gin. This was confirmed in their study using sensory panels of 20 persons. For my small scale 3-Liter recipes I usually add 60 grams per liter of 96% ethanol. I have in past added more and yes, I get a more intense Gin.
Doing the distillation run low and slow will extract more Juniper notes into the final Gin. This seems intuitive, but now there is scientific data to support the matter. Making Gin is not a race. Take it easy, and slow down. A slower run will give the ethanol more time to extract the oils from the Juniper.
Diluting the ethanol charge in your still to 45% will give more Juniper note extraction ( versus a 60% abv dilution). I have always viewed this as intuitive. A more dilute charge in the still takes longer to heat up. Remember q=(m)(Cp)(deltaT). All that extra water in the still takes energy and time to heat to the point where the ethanol vaporizes. But, now this study proves out this notion. In the Gin Master classes I typically dilute the ethanol to 50%, but I may start using 45% to see what happens. For a home connoisseur in possession of a small copper A’Lambic still, store-bought Vodka at 40% would even suffice just fine in the still.
This is the kind of academic research that I really appreciate because it ties so forcefully to the practical realities of distilling. I look forward to hopefully seeing more content of this nature from Heriot Watt…
You have no doubt noticed that the big name commercial Gins (Bombay, Tanqueray, Gordon’s, Beefeater….) all pretty much taste the same. True – there will be minor variations on the finish at the back of the tongue, but these commercial offerings are otherwise all characterized by a Juniper forward profile. There is actually a reason for this. The British people, for whom these Gins are made, drink Gin by way of a Negroni or a Gin & Tonic. That being the case, there is no need to make these Gins overly complex.
In my studies at Heriot Watt University, we engaged in a Gin Lab where we were given full access to the library of botanicals. I proceeded to make a complex recipe (similar to the one I make at my house) that entailed increased amounts of Juniper balanced by increased amounts of citrus and a touch of lavender for aroma. The pH.D. student who was supervising us promptly scoffed at my creation, proclaiming ” that’s not a Gin !”. I remarked back – “Yes it is. Come to to Canada sometime and we will show you what craft Gin is all about”. Funny thing about that encounter. We really have not gotten along since…
In the Distillery Workshops that I offer, one of the components is the Gin Master Class. I emphasize that the craft Gin maker is like an artist standing before a blank canvas. He can craft something that is well above and beyond all those London Dry Gins that populate our liquor store shelves.
One person who has taken this message to heart is Brett Shonekess from Bragg Creek, Alberta. Brett along with a couple investment partners will soon be turning dirt on a craft distillery in Oktotoks, Alberta. Along the way, the have captured the hearts of several equity investors who are eager to own a piece of a craft distillery. To help build the investment case, Brett and his partners have done something totally unusual. They engaged a craft distiller in B.C. to create a Gin using a recipe developed and fine tuned by Brett himself in his garage in Bragg Creek. This Gin is called Sno Day Gin – a reference to the concept of taking a day off for personal enjoyment during a winter snow storm. People curious about investing in the distillery project have been advised to visit their nearby liquor store and buy a bottle of Sno Day Gin. This Gin is obviously a good salesman. People tasting it have circled back to invest with Brett!
How can I best describe it? Well…..how about rich and full on the palate with Juniper notes singing in harmony with a choir of citrus flavors.
In a less superfluous manner – all I can say is – this is just a damn good Gin – whether you drink it with tonic or whether you just add a splash of water to it in a martini glass. It makes those British offerings pale by comparison. One sip of Sno Day and your days of Bombay and Tanqueray will be over…for good.
Brett gave me a bottle to take home. My wife – the Gin connoisseur – discovered the bottle soon after I arrived home from my recent Workshop in Calgary. Either the bottle sprung a leak or she drank it, because the bottle is nearly empty. Hint – I doubt the root cause of the bottle emptying was a leak….
You Gotta’ Try This Gin
What Brett has illustrated and showcased is the creative, artistic possibility that craft Gin can offer. This is the type of craft product that will elevate the entire craft movement. We consumers have suffered far too long at the hands of the big name commercial players. It is time to break free. It is time to make sipping a spirit an enjoyable sensation. It thrills me that people like Brett Shonekess are stepping up and leading the way. Take a visit to the Sno Day website at https://snoday.ca/. If you are outside Alberta, get in touch with Brett and see if he will mail you a bottle of Sno Day. Take some time to chat with him about the Okotoks project. Who knows, you could become the owner of a small piece of a real craft distillery.
As for me, here and now on September 27th, 2020…I am looking out the window and I think I see a snowflake falling. Yes!! It is time to take a Sno Day. I think there is a wee dram left in that bottle Brett gave me….
