Juniper berry is where gin begins, acquiring its distinctive taste and name. To be officially classified as gin, a spirit must primarily taste of juniper berry. Expect notes of soft pine, sweet citrus, earthiness, warm spices, and other complex, aromatic properties. Juniper berries thus play a significant role in the taste and aroma of gin.
A complex blend of lime, lemon, and sweet overtones of mandarin. Connoisseurs also recognize grapefruit and pine scent in it.
Orange peels are harvested in areas of Spain, such as Benissa and Jalon. Orange peels not only give this gin a bright, lemony quality but also play a key role during distillation. That burst of sweet oranges is the first botanical aroma to come through.
Lemon is a classic ingredient in our gin that plays a key role. “Just like our orange peels, our lemon peels are hand-harvested and hand-peeled.” The lemon is subtler than the orange and brings a dry freshness and a touch of bitterness. Like the orange aromas, “the lemon emerges first on the nose and in the foretaste, disappearing before the sip is finished.”
What it adds to the gin is the perception of sweetness in the mouth. We could throw in 10 kilos of sugar into the still, and the spirit wouldn’t taste sweeter. But even a tablespoon of licorice root would make a noticeable difference in a batch of 500 liters. Licorice root is sparingly used in gin because we want it to subtly support the sweet tones of juniper.
The taste of ginger can be described as fresh, lemony, spicy, and sharp. The flavor of ginger is intense and can be best described as light, bitter, and slightly pungent. Characteristic of ginger in gin is its lemony, sometimes peppery taste with a sweet undertone.
Only a small amount of cardamom is needed to impart its strong, resinous, and slightly cooling flavor. Recently, it has become a symbol of the contemporary gin movement, partially due to its excessive use in some early contemporary-style gins. Cardamom gives the gin a distinctive sweet, spicy taste that pairs incredibly well with juniper and coriander.
Coriander lends a citrusy flavor to gin, somewhat like lemongrass mixed with a hint of black pepper. It’s most evident in the finish. By using lemon peel and coriander, you get a citrus undertone that supports the soft pine of the juniper throughout the sip. Coriander provides a spicy and surprisingly fresh scent in the gin, giving it a more robust character.
