What's So Special About Craft Gin?

In recent decades, craft gin has revolutionised the spirits industry. Small-batch distilleries have embraced creativity, experimentation, and a deep connection to place, transforming gin from a standardised commodity into an artisanal product that tells stories. But what exactly makes craft gin special? The answer lies in local botanicals, innovative techniques, and a passion for quality over quantity.

Defining Craft Gin

While there's no legal definition of "craft gin," the term generally refers to gin produced by small, independent distilleries in limited batches. These distillers typically have hands-on involvement in every stage of production, from selecting botanicals to operating the still. Unlike mass-produced gins, craft distillers can experiment freely, take risks, and prioritise character over consistency.

Craft distilleries often operate on a scale that allows for personal attention to detail—they might produce hundreds or thousands of bottles rather than millions. This smaller scale enables innovation, quality control, and the flexibility to respond to seasons, local ingredients, and creative inspiration.

Craft distiller operating small copper pot still — Small-batch production allows craft distillers to maintain hands-on control over every aspect of gin making.

Showcasing Local Botanicals

One of the most distinctive features of craft gin is its celebration of local botanicals. Rather than relying solely on traditional gin ingredients sourced internationally, craft distillers forage, cultivate, and incorporate plants from their immediate surroundings. This creates gins that genuinely taste of place—what the wine world calls "terroir."

Coastal distilleries might incorporate seaweed, sea buckthorn, or samphire. Those in woodland areas might use foraged elderflower, wild garlic, or pine needles. Moorland distilleries could feature heather, gorse flowers, or rowan berries. This approach not only creates unique flavour profiles but also connects the spirit to its geographic origin in a meaningful way.

Many craft distillers go beyond foraging to actually cultivate their own botanicals. Growing juniper, citrus, herbs, and experimental plants on-site gives distillers complete control over quality and freshness while reducing their environmental footprint. Some distilleries achieve organic certification, ensuring their entire botanical supply chain meets rigorous standards.

Local botanicals for craft gin production — Craft distillers often forage or grow local botanicals, creating gins that express their geographic origin.

Supporting Conservation and Sustainability

Many craft distilleries embrace environmental stewardship as core to their mission. Some dedicate a portion of profits to conservation projects, particularly those protecting the ecosystems that provide their botanicals. Others achieve B Corp certification, meeting rigorous standards for social and environmental performance.

This commitment to sustainability extends beyond conservation donations. Craft distilleries often minimise waste, use renewable energy, source ingredients locally to reduce transport emissions, and design packaging with environmental impact in mind. For these distillers, quality spirits and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

Innovative Distillation Techniques

While some craft distillers embrace traditional methods—the Alembic pot still, created during the Islamic Golden Age, remains popular—others push the boundaries of distillation science. This experimental spirit drives innovation in craft gin production.

Vacuum Distillation

Vacuum distillation represents one of the most exciting modern techniques in craft gin. By lowering atmospheric pressure, distillers can extract botanical flavours at significantly lower temperatures—sometimes as low as 30-40°C compared to the typical 78°C for alcohol distillation.

This gentle approach preserves delicate aromatics and allows distillers to work with ingredients that would be damaged by traditional heat. Fresh fruits, flowers, and even ingredients like cream can be incorporated without destroying their character. The result is gins with remarkably fresh, vibrant flavours that would be impossible to achieve through conventional distillation.

Individual Botanical Distillation

Some craft distillers take a component approach, distilling each botanical separately before blending the individual distillates. This method provides exceptional control over the final flavour balance and allows distillers to adjust recipes without re-distilling entire batches.

Individual botanical distillation also removes the need for certain "fixative" botanicals like orris root and angelica root, which traditionally help bind flavours together during combined distillation. This approach enables cleaner, more focused expressions of each botanical's character.

Vapour Infusion vs Maceration

Craft distillers debate the merits of different botanical extraction methods. Maceration involves steeping botanicals directly in the base spirit before distillation, extracting oils and flavours through contact. Vapour infusion suspends botanicals in a basket above the spirit, allowing alcohol vapour to pass through and extract aromatics.

Each method extracts different compounds and produces distinct character. Some distillers use both techniques in combination, macerating certain botanicals while vapour-infusing others to achieve their desired flavour profile. This flexibility to experiment is a hallmark of craft production.

Celebrating History and Heritage

Many craft distilleries draw inspiration from history, whether celebrating local heritage, reviving historical recipes, or honouring traditional distilling practices. Some research Roman botanical use, medieval herbal medicine, or Victorian gin palaces to inform their creations.

This historical connection isn't mere marketing—it reflects a genuine appreciation for gin's rich past and the evolution of distillation as both craft and science. By understanding historical practices, modern craft distillers can innovate while maintaining respect for tradition.

Others focus on personal history, creating gins that tell family stories, commemorate local events, or celebrate cultural traditions. This narrative dimension adds depth and meaning beyond simple flavour profiles.

The Human Element

Perhaps what's most special about craft gin is simply the human scale of production. When you visit a craft distillery, you often meet the actual people who designed the recipe, selected the botanicals, operated the still, and bottled the gin. This direct connection between maker and consumer creates authenticity that mass production cannot replicate.

Craft distillers are typically driven by passion rather than purely commercial concerns. They experiment, take risks, and push boundaries because they genuinely care about creating something exceptional. This dedication shows in every bottle.

The craft gin movement has democratised quality spirit production, proving that innovation needn't come from major corporations with vast resources. Small teams with big ideas can create world-class spirits that challenge established brands and delight curious drinkers. That's what makes craft gin truly special.