Contemporary & New World Gin
Cucumber and rose. Forty-seven botanicals. Local kelp and lemon myrtle. The craft gin revolution that moved juniper from the front to the back — but never removed it.
Contemporary gin (also called New Western Dry Gin, New World Gin, or Craft Gin in various markets) is an informal term for gins produced within the legal definition of "gin" or "distilled gin" under EU Regulation 2019/787 (Categories 20/21) but with botanical formulations that intentionally allow non-juniper botanicals to equal or nearly equal juniper in prominence — while still technically maintaining juniper as the predominant flavour (the regulatory minimum). This category emerged from the global craft spirits movement from approximately 2005 onwards, when producers began experimenting with local, unusual, and non-traditional botanicals — cucumber (Hendrick's, UK), black forest botanicals (Monkey 47, Germany), regional herbs and flowers, regional citrus, exotic spices — to create gins that moved the flavour profile significantly away from the classic piney juniper of London Dry. No separate legal category exists for "contemporary gin" — it is a commercial and critical descriptor. The distinction from London Dry: contemporary gins may (and often do) add post-distillation botanical essences or distillates, or use cold compounding, which is not permitted in London Dry gin. The broader "Distilled Gin" category in EU 2019/787 (Category 21) covers redistilled gins without the stricter London Gin post-distillation restrictions.
How the craft gin revolution happened
The contemporary gin movement began in earnest with Hendrick's Gin (William Grant & Sons, Scotland — launched 1999), which infused rose and cucumber into a distilled gin base — botanicals that had no precedent in the London Dry tradition. Hendrick's market success demonstrated consumer appetite for flavour-led gins that were clearly juniper-present but not juniper-dominated. Within fifteen years, thousands of new gin distilleries had opened across the UK, Europe, Australia, and the Americas.
The craft gin explosion was enabled by lower barriers to entry than whisky (gin does not require ageing — a distillery can produce and sell gin within days of receiving equipment) and by consumer interest in local, artisanal products with authentic stories. Many craft gin producers use hyper-local botanicals — coastal heathers (Isle of Harris Gin, Scotland), indigenous Australian botanicals (Four Pillars, Victoria), fynbos herbs (Inverroche, South Africa), or regional citrus — to create gins with a specific sense of place that London Dry's generic botanical bill cannot achieve.
Key contemporary gin subcategories
| Style | Character | Key examples |
|---|---|---|
| Floral Gin | Rose, lavender, elderflower, violet forward. Juniper subdued but present. Often pink/blush colour from added botanicals. | Hendrick's (rose + cucumber), Caorunn (Scottish botanicals including rowan), Bloom |
| Citrus-forward Gin | High citrus peel content. Mediterranean/Spanish-style, often designed for gin & tonic. | Monkey 47 (German — 47 botanicals including blackberries and cranberries), Tanqueray No. Ten (fresh citrus), Botanist (Islay, 22 local botanicals) |
| Terroir/Regional Gin | Local botanicals specific to a place. High sense of geographic identity. | Isle of Harris (sugar kelp seaweed), Four Pillars (Australia — Tasmanian pepper, lemon myrtle), Inverroche (fynbos) |
| Barrel-Aged Gin | Distilled gin aged in oak. Takes on vanilla, wood, caramel character. Amber in colour. Blurs gin/whisky boundary. | Citadelle Réserve (French), G'Vine Floraison aged, various craft expressions |
| Navy Strength Gin | Minimum 57% ABV — historically the minimum strength for gunpowder to still ignite if soaked in gin (proof testing). Intense, powerful botanical character. | Plymouth Navy Strength, Hayman's Royal Dock, Tanqueray Old Tom |
| Pink/Sloe Gin | Sloe berry (blackthorn, Prunus spinosa) macerated in gin, sweetened. A separate legal category (Sloe Gin) under EU 2019/787. Not technically a gin subcategory. | Gordon's Sloe Gin, Sipsmith Sloe Gin |
Vapour infusion vs pot maceration — two botanical extraction methods
Contemporary gins frequently use different botanical extraction methods than traditional London Dry pot redistillation. The two primary methods: (1) Pot maceration (traditional) — botanicals soaked directly in the neutral spirit in the pot still, then distilled. Direct contact between the spirit and botanicals maximises extraction of both volatile and less-volatile compounds. Produces more complex, heavier botanical character. (2) Vapour basket infusion — a perforated basket holding dry botanicals is placed in the still's neck above the pot. Alcohol vapour (but not liquid spirit) passes through the botanical basket as it rises to the condenser. Only the most volatile aromatic compounds are extracted — producing a lighter, fresher, more delicate botanical character. Bombay Sapphire pioneered the vapour infusion method commercially. Many contemporary gin producers use a combination: some botanicals in the pot, others in a vapour basket, and some added post-distillation as essences — giving the master distiller maximum flexibility over the final botanical character.