As any gin enthusiast knows, juniper is the soul of the spirit. So how does Flavoured Gin fit in with that?
In the traditional narrative, the unmistakable pine-forward, woody, forest-like resinous sap of tastiness that is juniper stands tall in every gin. But gin is a spirit that never stands still. It is ever evolving and since 2010 a new narrative has been written.
In this new story, juniper shares, and often even concedes, the spotlight to a host of other flavours and yet the bottle still has GIN written on the label. It’s been controversial and in equal measure, it’s been the very reason the spirit has reached the heights it has.
Put simply – less juniper predominance has proved to be a commercially successful idea.
Here, we’ll explore the world of Flavoured Gin…
What is Flavoured Gin?
Flavoured Gin, as the term suggests, refers to gin wherein a specific flavour is intentionally allowed to dominate. It takes centre stage and often relegates the juniper (and other botanicals) to a supporting role.
Sometimes juniper makes little to no appearance at all.
It’s not the same as Contemporary styles in that often, the “flavour” part of Flavoured Gin is done through post infusion. Moreover, the lead flavour is usually de-marked on the bottle and there is far less juniper is evident to taste.
For example, Puerto De Indias Gin is pink, fruity and has a jammy sweetness. It’s clearly labelled as a Strawberry flavoured gin. In comparison Hernö Pink Btl Gin is a clear gin that has strawberries in the botanical mix and has fruity undertones to taste. The former is Flavoured, while the other is just a modern, Contemporary gin.
It’s undeniable that the emergence of Flavoured Gin presents an enticing adventure to the adventurous drinker, opening a universe of possibilities.
It makes a kaleidoscope of colours and an entire merry-go-round of flavours possible in glasses. It’s been key to gin’s success over the past decade and without it, gin as a spirit would never have become so popular. In the UK and in Spain, it even drove category growth for years, and now accounts for over a third of all gin sales.
Flavoured Gin is here to stay
The emergence of Flavoured Gin challenges the very notion of what a gin can be. It intentionally deviates from the traditional juniper-forward profile and explores a wide range of flavours.
But drinkers have now come accustomed to that concept.
More so, they now expect it and for most – whether it’s strictly juniper forward or not isn’t the main concern. Or of any concern in fact. Whether it tastes good is the priority – and many of them do.
Because of this you can be certain that there is no going back to a world where there is no Flavoured Gin.
Moreover, there’s lots of valid reasons to accept their inclusion into the cannon of gin – even for the purists.
Three positives for why Flavoured Gin is a good thing
Firstly, the genre is the logical conclusion for where gin has evolved since the revival began in the early noughties. It was through “New Western Dry” American offings that contemporary takes on Gin challenged the notion of what it means to be ‘juniper predominant’ and opened the door to a broader interpretation.
Flavoured gin just took it one step further some ten years later.
And in that decade, there were some thousand products that were launched. And by that, we really mean literally over a thousand – not a flippant turn of phrase. Compare that to the mere hundred or so in the previous decade and it’s fair to say that Flavoured Gin was actually quite slow to emerge from the “juniper-lite” trend.
Miss by an inch, miss by a mile.
Secondly, if the issue with Flavoured Gin is a binary one, juniper-predominance, then surely all those New Western variations before it also missed the mark.
Just like going over the speed limit or exceeding the checked bag allowance – when it’s enforced, the line is clear and a little over is the same as miles over…
Wouldn’t the gin category be so much poorer if we excluded thousands of interesting products? Thousands of brilliant brands that taste fantastic no less. Hendrick’s and Aviation are two big names that would not grace shelves if we did.
There are so many that when they launched, incrementally pushed what was considered predominant. They feel mainstream now (especially Hendrick’s and Aviation) and might even raise eyebrows suggesting they are not predominant, but at the time, were a notable departure. For example, Martin Miller’s was out there by 1999 category standards. Leopold’s (2001), Inverroche (2011)… The list of now accepted contemporary gins that were once considered fringe is long.
The need for a wider lens
Thirdly, absolute juniper predominance is a relatively recent expectation in the context of a spirit that has been distilled for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Base spirit would not have so been clean when it first began – meaning malt, grape or other grains might well have been the lead flavour, with juniper playing second fiddle. If it’s tradition we are looking for, should we not all be calling for Genever-like products then?
If we accept that Gin has evolved since the 1700’s, then why can’t this be another chapter?
Even in the era of Neutral Spirits, there have been “flavoured” gins that date back to the 1920’s. Gordon’s, Tanqueray and more had fruit infused gins over the years. They were even yellow and orange! Try the 1980’s Beefeater Wet (made with pear essence & sugar) for an eye opening drinking experience…
For these reasons, Flavoured Gin deserves its place in today’s category.
There are hundreds of expressions today and Flavoured Gin is a distinct sub-style within the gin family. It has its own set of shared ideas and characteristics. That said, and as delicious as many have been, their inclusion has come at a price.
There are several significant challenges
Flavoured gin has created other challenges beyond the idea of juniper-predominance.
A significant challenge has been about the use of sugar and how that is concealed. So many of these bright and fruity infusions were sweetened when the genre exploded between 2014-2020. Thankfully, this is significantly less overt now (although still very common).
The damage it has done to the genre is long-lasting, especially around consumer trust.
Non-flavour based concerns
The issue many commentators still have with flavoured gin is not just about the core flavour being juniper-predominant, nor even the hidden sugar. Both are at least being spoken about openly and understood by a large portion of drinkers.
It’s the oversimplification of the idea of flavour itself.
All gins are flavoured
Flavour journeys are carefully honed, and recipes are crafted to feature nuance and discovery. By having an X or Y flavoured gin, it reduces the spirit in the bottle to be just one thing. Strawberry. Rhubarb. Orange.
It teaches drinkers to expect a singular note. It diminishes the art of ginsmithing to that of a one trick pony and when you are bored with that flavour, just move onto the next. Watermelon in summer, ginger for winter. One brand today, another tomorrow.
In that regard, Flavoured Gins have been devastating for the expectation of flavour sequence and subtle layering that can be found in a single sip.
They also dumbed down the way gin is marketed
They have undone years of education work to help elevate a category and build the understanding around the craft of gin making.
How? It’s due to the way Flavoured Gin centres the conversation around what flavours there are in a range – as if a line up is akin to a gumball machine of varying gimmicks.
Flavoured Gin has also reduced the casual drinker’s curiosity around who the makers are, their process and the provenance. Why bother to dig deeper or wonder beyond the headline pushed in their face, when a single concept is so acutely presented on the nose and palate. And on the label. And via the colour of the liquid…
It’s hard to be curious when someone is shouting at you. Harder still when the next thing to emerge is another new and equally loud variant, with an equally bright and bombastic flavour. This cycle becomes problematically reductive.
These are prescient issues for those looking at the longevity of the category. That’s true even if you also welcome the idea that Flavoured Gins are part and parcel of the gin category. Even if you think they can be excellent – which is what many should be rightly considered as.
Flavoured future
It’s clear that Flavoured Gin is here to stay. They have a right to be there (with many historical precedents) and are the natural conclusion of years of category diversification and a lax approach to defining gin through regulation. They can also be delicious to drink.
Both concern and support can exist in parallel when it comes to Flavoured Gin. In fact, to fully understand it, one must understand that it’s not a linear nor binary subject matter. It never has been.
With no real momentum to add the term into legislation to ensure that should someone want to make it, it’s done well, safely and with some uniformity of what to expect for the consumer to trust – this mercurial category will continue to evolve and attract more controversy in years to come. The issue with allergen enforcement remains problematic (undisclosed sugars, anticoagulants. nuts and so on) . That’s the inevitable downside.
The positive is that with so many products now out there, what world class Flavoured Gin looks like is obvious to see. Drinkers are clever and discerning.
They gravitate to quality and just as we are seeing in 2024, the market knows what it takes to succeed and a natural benchmark has been set. Producers know this too, so expect less pink liqueurs and more complex offerings to be the norm.
