How to make gin - a quick guide on how gin is made

How to Make Gin

Gin is made through a distillation process that involves heating pure neutral spirit with juniper berries and other botanicals, such as herbs, spices, and fruit.

The process flavours the spirit, creating a very strong gin, which is then diluted with water to reach the required alcohol strength. In the UK, gin must be at least 37.5% ABV (alcohol by volume).

Gin does not require maturation time, although oak-aged gins are a specialist category.

Case Study: How York Gin is Made

York Gin follows a traditional method known as vapour infusion in a copper still:

• Pure alcohol, made from Yorkshire grain, is heated in a copper still to become vapour.
• This vapour passes through a basket of carefully chosen botanicals, including juniper berries, infusing the alcohol with their flavours.
• The vapour condenses back into liquid form, producing a very strong gin.
• The gin is then diluted with pure, filtered Yorkshire water to the required strength.
• York Gin maintains high standards for quality and consistency, earning recognition as Distillery of the Year 2021.
• The distillery operates sustainably, using 100% green energy to power the still.

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