We are lucky to be in a world where there is a thriving gin market teeming with countless brands. It’s a golden era for the category. Yet only a select few follow the entire grain-to-glass production process and make their own base spirit.
Here we delve into some of the reasons why, if it even matters and what that might mean for gin as a category.
A baseline – some important context
The U.K., renowned for its gin culture, boasts over 600 individual distilleries making gins, and well over 1000 brands once you consider those made under contract.
Fewer than 5% of these gin makers engage in the labour-intensive task of crafting their base spirit however. Instead, neutral spirit is purchased from large contractors and used as the start point for their creations.
There are historical reasons for it, stemming from a clear division between distillers and rectifiers that originated in the 18th Century. But even once the law was changed (or clarified that they didn’t apply depending on who’s interpretation you have) over a decade ago – uptake has been practically non-existent.
Compare this to the US, Australia and South Africa, and you’ll see that it’s more common for a gin’s base spirit to have been made in-house. That said, it’s still a minority by quite a long way, less than a quarter of all gin expressions made.
Be it as a drinker and enthusiast or as a distiller looking to perfect their gin offering – ignore base spirit at your peril. Namely, as it is the vehicle that carries the majority of the flavour being distilled!
Even when ‘neutral’ (which many base spirits aren’t) – it sets a stage for flavours to dance upon. It also imparts structure and texture to the gin.
Furthermore, it sets the stage for marketing and sales differentiation. Some gin brands weave tales of their unique all approach to production, often resulting in captivating origin stories that charm consumers.
Base spirit might not be spoken about as much as botanicals. But the quality and condition of the base spirit matters and it makes a tangible difference to every element of how a gin is perceived.
Should a gin producer make their own base spirit?
The jury is out on this one and it’s more complex than just philosophical opinions on what “craft” means…
On the one side, there are valid reasons why it doesn’t matter if you do or don’t. Just like a painter isn’t expected to make their own paint, there is an argument to suggest that gin creators should focus on the artistry of botanical infusion and subsequent flavour journey. Let the experts handle the neutral spirit.
Indeed, the charm of a finished gin largely lies in its added botanicals, leaving the neutral spirit’s character mostly veiled.
However, in reality it’s not quite neutral and veiled is not the same as invisible.
Some flavour does remain in all neutral spirits. Take that one step further and the quality of alcohol integration is also noticeable. The base spirit influences the gin’s texture and finish – does it induce a pleasant warmth or a stinging burn?
Moreover, where does the line start and stop on the craftsmanship involved distilling. Is redistilling a spirit with ingredients enough, or is the craft of distilling about the act of going from grain (or grape) to glass? Do you a take a view that is category dependent or all inclusive of any distilling activity…
Price and quality mostly influence the decisions being made
The choice for many gin brands to purchase ready-made base spirit boils down to cost-effectiveness. The price of creating a base spirit can add a significant amount to the final bottle cost.
In the major global markets, drinkers are yet to show that they will pay a premium for it. In real terms then, that means taking a margin hit.
Creating a high quality neutral spirit is no minor achievement either. It requires a distillate to reach an impressive 95% ABV in the US or even 96% ABV in the EU. To reach this lofty goal, distillers need to use column stills, which are more energy-consuming, space-demanding, and complex than their pot counterparts.
Producing neutral spirit also demands fermentation, further increasing the process’s energy, space, and equipment requirements. It involves working with yeast and managing waste differently.
It’s not a clear cut nor easy decision to make. There’s an opportunity to influence a gin’s texture and flavour for the better. There’s also the potential to mask what makes gin so special – botanical clarity.
Why do some gin makers choose to make their own base? The case for making it…
Control over quality
When a producer makes their own base spirit, they have complete control over the quality of the spirit.
They can experiment with different raw materials and yeasts to tailor the fermentation and distillation processes and unique and high-quality base that aligns perfectly with the desired taste and profile of their gin.
Unique selling point
Crafting a base spirit from scratch allows a producer to create a truly unique product, differentiated from competitors who use commercial base spirits.
This can be leveraged as a unique selling point and a part of the brand’s story, appealing to discerning consumers who value authenticity, craftsmanship in their spirits.
Product diversification
Making a high-quality base spirit involves the same process as making a high-quality vodka. Many producers who chose to create their own gin base release it as a vodka too. You get two potential products out of the process, not one.
Meanwhile, there are winemakers and brewers who already ferment and create base products and thus already have the supply and know how. Taking it one stage further is a logical part of their distillery as all spirits are a bolt on to their existing business.
Sustainability and provenance
Many drinkers value traceability in their spirits. It doesn’t get any more transparent than making everything in one place yourself from farm to glass.
Furthermore, for those operating at scale, with efficient process and equipment – creating your own base spirit can be more sustainable than buying in and shipping it from many miles away. (The opposite can also be true).
Access to quality
Simply put, while there are many places in the world that can be supplied with high quality neutral spirit, it’s not a blanket rule. In some places, access is not ideal, can cost significant premiums and endure frequent supply delays.
Making everything in house can solve these issues.
Why don’t more gin brands make their own base spirit? The case for why it’s not a good idea…
Complexity
Producing a base spirit is a complex process that requires precision, advanced equipment, and more know-how than rectification alone. The process of making a base spirit involves fermenting the chosen liquid and dealing with yeast, along with the associated equipment.
Creating high quality base spirit from scratch is a significant step up in skill requirements, personnel and commitment than buying in Neutral Spirit.
Risk factor
Any errors during fermentation will affect the quality of the final product and the overall yield per batch, risking the brand’s reputation and finances.
Going from scratch involved handling more liquid, multitasking more items and working on bigger apparatus, meaning the opportunity for safety issues, quality issues and scheduling issues is greater.
Waste
Due to having to mash, ferment, then distil, there is more waste effluent and by-products to deal with, requiring proper disposal and adding another layer of complication to distillery operations.
Economics
The cost of creating a base spirit can significantly increase the price of the final product, making it less competitive in the market.
Once you factor in the increased costs upfront (equipment), the overheads (headcount, space, materials), efficiency (time taken per batch, energy use and waste), and risk mitigation challenges once at scale – buying a base spirit can be far cheaper and make more business sense.
Sustainability
Distillers need to achieve a high distillation strength, which typically demands the use of a columns. These stills are not only more expensive, but they consume more energy compared to pot-only stills.
Distilling requires significant water use for both cooling and product. How a producer implements sustainable waste disposal must be factored in too.
All in, it may be significantly worse environmentally to make the base spirit in-house than buying from a large-scale manufacturer with efficiency and environmental action plans in place.
There are legal obstacles when making your own base spirit in Europe too
In the EU, a base spirit used for gin needs to meet baseline criteria set out in law. The regulations laid out are of an exceptionally high standard and hard to achieve on rudimentary column mounted pot stills. Namely the % ABV must be a minimum of 96%.
That doesn’t mean distilled to 96% at the beginning of the cut and progressing down in ABV by the time a distiller switches to their tails cut. It is a sustained minimum of 96% ABV throughout. This is exceptionally difficult to do.
This is re-iterated in the rules for Distilled Gin and London Dry but in all classes of gin (Gin, Distilled Gin, London Dry Gin) – the base spirit is specified as “ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin”, which is defined elsewhere in Article 5.
Here it is for those searching and wanting the passage verbatim from EU Law –
Article 5. Definition of and requirements for ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
For the purposes of this Regulation, ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin is a liquid which complies with the following requirements:
(a) it has been obtained exclusively from products listed in Annex I to the Treaty;
(b) it has no detectable taste other than that of the raw materials used in its production;
(c) its minimum alcoholic strength by volume is 96,0 %; (d) its maximum levels of residues do not exceed the following:
- total acidity (expressed in acetic acid): 1,5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(ii) esters (expressed in ethyl acetate): 1,3 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(iii) aldehydes (expressed in acetaldehyde): 0,5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(iv) higher alcohols (expressed in 2-methyl-1-propanol): 0,5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(v) methanol: 30 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(vi) dry extract: 1,5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(vii) volatile bases containing nitrogen (expressed in nitrogen): 0,1 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;
(viii) furfural: not detectable.
As you can see, that’s a lot of criteria to meet!
It is worth noting however, that despite the dozens of flagrant violations and products that ignore this rule – there has yet to be a single case of a product being removed by trading standards or equivalent body. The rules may be clear, unfortunately, the enforcement of them not.
Base spirit matters
In conclusion, the decision to produce or purchase a base spirit is a complex yet crucial element in gin production. While the allure of complete control and the potential for a unique selling point entices some distillers to create their own base spirit, the realities of cost, complexity, and environmental impact often sway others towards purchasing pre-made Neutral spirit.
Ultimately, this choice significantly influences the texture, flavour, and character of the gin, as well as their brand’s story.
Whether crafted in-house or sourced externally, the base spirit remains a fundamental component in the art of gin making. It might be in the background of the final flavour, but it is the foundation that all gin is built from.
