The Origins of Gin in Britain

Long before gin became synonymous with British culture, it began life as genever—a Dutch medicinal spirit flavoured with juniper berries. The transformation from Dutch genever to British gin is a fascinating tale of warfare, royal influence, political strategy, and changing tastes that would ultimately shape Britain's drinking culture for centuries to come.

What Was Genever?

Known and used as a medicine during the 1500s, genever had become popular enough by 1606 that the Dutch were levying taxes on it and similar liquors as alcoholic drinks. Based on malt wine—which, despite the name, was not actually wine but rather a fermented mash of wheat, rye, and corn mixed with malted barley—the resulting distillate was probably quite unpleasant in its raw form.

To make it more palatable, distillers re-distilled the spirit with various herbs, spices and, most importantly, juniper berries. The aromatic juniper not only masked harsh flavours but also contributed the distinctive piney, resinous character that would become gin's signature. Produced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of France and Spain, genever was often matured in oak casks. Many believe the malty flavours from its grain base would have resulted in something between modern gin and whisky.

Juniper berries used in gin and genever productio — Juniper berries gave genever—and later gin—its distinctive botanical character.

Dutch Courage and Early Contact

Genever's introduction to Britain was a gradual process that may have started as early as the last decades of the sixteenth century. In 1585, Queen Elizabeth I sent 6,000 men to the Low Countries to support the Dutch against Spanish forces. While there, or so the story goes, the troops observed their Dutch counterparts sipping from small bottles they kept on their belts, after which they fought valiantly—thanks to their "Dutch courage."

Whether the origin of this famous phrase or merely a good story, contact between British and Dutch soldiers certainly introduced English troops to genever. This exposure was renewed as they fought together during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), and during this period genever became more widely known in England, though it remained primarily an imported curiosity.

William of Orange and Royal Patronage

Relationships between the English and the Dutch soured periodically as they competed—and fought—over trade and overseas colonies. However, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the ascension of Dutch William of Orange to the British throne proved a turning point for genever's popularity in Britain. With a Dutch monarch on the English throne, Dutch drinking customs gained royal approval and widespread social acceptance.

This royal patronage came at a fortuitous time. To help finance the seemingly endless wars of the seventeenth century—and lessen the country's dependence on foreign powers—the British government began to prohibit foreign spirits, particularly French brandy. Simultaneously, they actively encouraged domestic distillation and, as governments do, raised taxes on imported spirits.

The Perfect Storm for Gin

In these circumstances, gin was uniquely well positioned to flourish. Unlike whisky, which requires years of maturation, gin production was almost instantaneous—distillers could produce and sell it within days. Unlike brandy, which in Britain would have primarily meant fruit brandy, gin was based on grain, which was cheap and readily available following good harvests in the early 1700s.

With exotic spices becoming increasingly accessible as Britain's growing naval dominance opened the world to its merchants, English distillers started to develop their own version of genever. They experimented with botanical recipes, refined their techniques, and simplified the process. At the same time, they shortened the drink's name from "genever" to the more anglicized "gin."

From Medicine to National Spirit

What began as a Dutch medicinal tonic had, by the early eighteenth century, become an increasingly English drink. British distillers moved away from the malt wine base and heavy, sweet character of genever toward a lighter, more botanical-forward spirit made from grain neutral spirits. This was the birth of what we would recognize as London Dry Gin—a style that would eventually dominate the gin world.

The stage was now set for gin to become not just popular, but ubiquitous. However, this popularity would come at a steep price, leading to one of the most turbulent periods in British social history: the Gin Craze of the eighteenth century. What started with royal approval and economic incentives would spiral into a public health crisis that would take decades to resolve.