Ask the Expert

Our gin expert, David T. Smith, is on hand to answer all your juniper related questions. Tweet us @ginmagazineuk or email editor@paragraph.co.uk for a chance to feature

I recently saw that Beefeater uses both angelica seed and angelica root in its gin – what’s the difference? Is it overkill?

IIAN, BOURNEMOUTH

Both angelica seeds and roots come from the same plant - Angelica Archangelica – which grows primarily in central and northern Europe.

The root is the third most commonly used botanical in gin, featuring in more than a thousand different gins across the world. In contrast, I only know of perhaps a dozen gins that are made using the seeds; alongside Beefeater, Boodles Gin is a good example.

When used as a botanical, angelica root adds a dry earthiness to gin. To quote gin expert and author Geraldine Coates, it is “what gives gin its dryness”. The impact of angelica seed is typically less, but it adds an aromatic, floral flavour. As these notes are quite different, it makes sense to use both if you want both aspects of angelica in your gin’s flavour profile.

When does cask influence go too far with gin?

NEIL, BUTTERWORTH

A rather topical question and one that generates debate. Matured gins (also known as cask or aged gins) are those that have been stored in wood for a period of time so that, as with whisky or Cognac, the spirit takes on character from the wood. The maturation ranges from weeks to years and, in the case of Fifty/50 Gin, decades: a component of that is aged for 20 years.

There are two main reasons for putting gin in barrels: one is to add mellowness and “round off the edges” of the gin to give it a smooth, more luxurious mouthfeel; the other is to complement the flavour of the botanicals. A good example of the first is Hayman’s Gently Rested, a great all-round gin.

For the second, I consider the optimal outcome to be a gin with a harmony between the flavours of the cask and those of the botanicals. At one time, it was very common for gins to be aged only in ex-Bourbon casks, often for 18 months; the result was a relatively sweet and spicy spirit that mostly tasted like Bourbon, with a majority of the gin’s botanical nuance being lost.

Today, there is a great deal more creativity being demonstrated with cask gins. Citadelle now make their reserve gin using six different types of wooden casks (including acacia and chestnut). Puddingstone Distillery use an ex-port cask to age their Port Barrel Aged Conker Gin, which gives the gin a plum hue and a frutiness. The Fifty/50 Gin mentioned earlier is a blend of a 20-years-old aged gin with fresh, unaged London Dry Gin that helps to retain balance between wood and botanicals. All of these are examples of how good matured gin can be and the winter months are an excellent time to try them.

I have purchased a pink gin, but the colour has faded after a while, is it okay?

ANNIE, INVERNESS

Don’t worry about your gin – it sounds like a very natural occurrence and is just an indication of how the gin was made.

There are two main ways to add colour to gin: one is to steep/macerate fruit or flowers such as raspberries or rose petals in the gin. This extracts flavour, aroma and colour. The other is to add drops of colouring (usually from a natural source) to the gin, essentially “adding colour”.

The first option is often used by smaller distilleries and, while it can initially have the best results, the downside is that the colour is not always very stable and can fade over time, particularly if the gin is kept in a sunny location. The gin’s flavour and aroma may persist; it is simply an aesthetic. It is worth noting that this is often a problem for colour-changing gins, made using pea flower petals.

Many of the larger distilleries that make coloured gins use an added colour as there is a greater need for stability and consistency in the end product; a longerlasting colour is especially important if bottles may be shipped overseas before they even reach the shelves.