What exactly is a London Dry Gin?

As the producer of one of the best London Dry gins in the world, we are very familiar with the London Dry style and all of its intricacies...

Award-winning Crosskirk Bay Gin photographed by Angus Mackay

Most of the gins with which you are familiar are London Dry gins; it’s by far the most popular category of gin and the most difficult to make well (technically speaking). The limitations to the creation of London Dry gin means that there is very little room for error.

For a gin to be classed as a London Dry gin, how it’s made is key. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council dictates that:

• A neutral alcohol of agricultural origin must be used.

• The only ingredients allowed are natural plant materials, a neutral alcohol of agricultural origin, and water.

• All natural plant materials must be added during the distillation process, of which juniper must be the predominant flavour.

• The resulting distillate must contain at least 70 % alcohol by volume.

• It must not be coloured.

• It must not be sweetened in excess of 0.1 grams of sweetening products per litre of the final product.

• The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of the final product must be 37.5 %

Our Crosskirk Bay Gin goes one further and is actually a single-shot London Dry gin, meaning that after distillation only water is added to the distillate – no sweetener of any kind or amount is added nor any additional neutral alcohol – requiring very precise proofing (there’s no going back if it drops below the 45.1% ABV). This means all of the sweetness in Crosskirk Bay Gin comes exclusively during the distillation process. Our Head Distiller, Greg, is able to achieve this through the use of cane neutral and incredibly tight cut points, which are decided not by temperature, but by flavour. 

As a London Dry gin, the flavours present in Crosskirk Bay Gin are entirely sourced from the chosen botanicals, and with juniper being the predominant flavour, choosing the right juniper is essential. Luckily, we are spoiled for choice: juniper is grown just about everywhere and is almost exclusively wildly grown and harvested. While all juniper has that iconic pine-like flavour, each location’s climate imbibes the berries with its own unique qualities. 

For Crosskirk Bay Gin, Greg chose to use Italian juniper: a larger and juicier berry than most. The higher oil content from this variety ensures that classic pine flavour is strong, but also incredibly smooth, allowing Crosskirk Bay Gin to have the uncommonly high ABV of 45% – well above the minimum required 37.5% ABV. 

Crosskirk Bay Gin

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In addition to Crosskirk Bay Gin, the North Point Team have also made a number of London Dry gins for private bottlers, charities and fundraisers, weddings, and other brands, all with their own unique flavour profiles. Greg is an expert at perfectly pairing hero botanicals with juniper varieties alongside his hands-on distillation method, creating custom London Dry gins for every bottling. Some examples of other delicious and award-winning London Dry gin creations are: Burgh Island London Dry Gin, made for Burgh Island Hotel; Spirit of Stirkoke, made for Puldagon Farm; e’Games Highland Gin, made the Halkirk Highland Games; and BF London Dry Gin, made for the charity DEBRA. 

If you’re interested in a London Dry gin of your own, please contact Alex MacDonald at alex@northpointdistillery.com and he will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Cheers!

Heather

Photograph by North Point Distillery; L-R: Burgh Island London Dry Gin, Spirit of Stirkoke Puldagon Gin, Crosskirk Bay Gin, Halkirk e'Games Gin, Caithness RFC Gin.