What Is A Craft Gin?

Gin is one of the most popular spirits to date, and there’s so much variety out there. One of the more prominent variants of gin is craft gin, and it has proven to be a tried and tested favourite by gin drinkers. But what exactly is a craft gin, and why has it gained so much popularity?

Firstly, what’s the difference?

One of the biggest questions that arise about craft gin is what is the difference between a craft gin and other kinds of gin? Though craft gin may contain the same ingredients or follow a similar process, the difference is the story and passion put into the gin-making process.

Many popular gins such as Gordon’s gin tend to be mass-produced, and though there’s nothing necessarily wrong with them, they lack that small something that makes a gin truly special. Craft gins are individually crafted and cared for - the ingredients are specifically chosen, the process is handmade, and the story behind is special. You’ll often be able to find the faces of whoever is behind a craft gin and how they began their gin-making journey.

What does the process look like?

The process of building a craft gin is unique, and so it varies widely from producer to producer. Some craft gin distillers create their gins from scratch, beginning at the grain and following the process, all the way to the final product. This gives them a lot of control over the entire process and allows them to add their own twists and love at each stage.

Due to the nature of craft gin, many distilleries will only produce small batches at a time, meaning you’ll often find an overlap between craft gins and small-batch distilleries. This is mostly so each bottle can be carefully monitored, and the producers can put their love and attention into the process rather than be dragged away by mass production.

Is there really a difference?

There are a couple of differences between craft gins and other kinds of gin. The first is that the amount of control a distillery has over the craft gin process means they can ensure quality throughout each stage, especially if produced from scratch. You can often tell the difference between companies that buy in spirits and dilute in-house, for example.

However, the biggest difference comes from the craftsmanship behind a craft gin (hence the name!). The people behind the gin will know their product by heart and put a lot of love into a bottle. This comes through so much, both in the flavour of the gin, but also in the feeling of the bottle. For anyone who appreciates a story and care behind their drink, craft gin is almost certainly the winner.

Craft gins are popular for many reasons, but their individuality alongside the attention to detail given to each bottle makes them stand out from the shelf. Though you’ll find plenty of gin to choose from, we can promise that a craft gin is not just a drink, but an experience. Try one of our gins to see for yourself!