How is Gin Made?

Ever wondered how we make our award-winning gins?

Gin is made from a neutral base spirit, usually made from grain, such as wheat or barley, which is first fermented and then distilled. This starting spirit is incredibly high strength with as little flavour as possible.

Then comes the expertise of our expert distiller, Scott Gowans. To be called a gin, our recipe needs to be made from a base of juniper berries. We then add other herbs, plants, fruits, and spices - known as botanicals - to our neutral grain spirit along with water until the alcohol level and balance of flavours meets our desired mixture

At Darnley's we're making our gins in the London Dry style, which doesn't actually mean it's made in London! To be London Dry, all our botanicals must be added during the distillation process, and they must all be natural. Then we only add water to dilute the alcohol level - no extra flavours or sweetness added!