The production of gin is comparatively simple. Normally, the basis is neutral alcohol, industrially produced potable alcohol made from any starch carrier such as grain. Some gins fall back on wine alcohol. Aromatics - botanicals - are added in different ways.
Maceration
The botanicals are placed in the alcohol until their aromas have been extracted. Then the drinking strength is adjusted.
Digestion
The ingredients are heated to extract more aromas.
Perculation
The botanicals hang in a spirit basket in the still. During distillation, the alcohol vapour is led past it and extracts aromas. The process is considered to be the most expensive and of the highest quality.
Digestion and perculation are possible in parallel.
Column distillation is allowed. Better bottlings are often based on selected base alcohols such as grape brandy, which are distilled in small batches.
In the final product, a number of styles are distinguished - some of them with force of law - which relate primarily to the sweetness and quantity of ingredients.
Systematics
There are different systematics, which also show within overlaps. Legal regulations exist particularly in the EU. According to EU Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008, gin must have a minimum alcohol content of 37.5% alcohol. In the USA, at least 40% alcohol and the characteristic taste of juniper are mandatory. Canadian regulations are almost identical. In Holland, there is a clear difference between gin and genever. There are few protected geographical origins, for example, Plymouth Gin, Genever, Ostfriesischer Korngenever, which also refer to related juniper spirits.