Gin Styles Explained: From London Dry to Navy Strength
Two bottles can both say "gin" and be made in completely different ways: one crafted in a copper still, one mixed like a cordial in a tank. The label tells you which, if you know how to read it. Here is the complete map of gin styles, including a few that most articles forget.
The Three Legal Categories
Compound (Cold Compounded) Gin. The simplest method: take neutral alcohol and add flavourings or essences, with no distillation of botanicals at all. Think of it like making iced tea from powder instead of brewing leaves. It is legal, it is cheap, and it is why some gins cost so little. The label usually just says "gin," and now you know why.
Distilled Gin. Here the botanicals are actually distilled with the spirit in a still. After distillation, the producer is allowed to add more flavourings, colours, or sweeteners. Most modern "flavoured" gins (pink gins, fruit gins) live in this category.
London Dry Gin. The strictest category and the distiller's exam. Everything must come from the distillation itself: after the run, nothing can be added except water and a tiny, strictly limited amount of sugar. No flavours, no colours, no shortcuts. If the balance is wrong, the distiller cannot fix it afterwards; they must start again. One more surprise: London Dry is a method, not a place. It can legally be made anywhere in the world, from Scotland to Japan.
The Forgotten and Special Styles
Old Tom. The missing link between the rough gin of the 1700s and today's London Dry: lightly sweetened, softer, rounder. It nearly went extinct and came back with the craft cocktail revival. (The name likely comes from black cat signs on old London pubs; the full story is in The History of Gin.)
Plymouth Gin. For centuries, gin made in the naval city of Plymouth was its own protected style: slightly earthier and softer than London Dry. Here is the detail most people miss: Plymouth held a protected geographical status like Champagne or Scotch, but the producer gave it up in 2015, so today Plymouth is a brand and a style, not a legal region.
Navy Strength. Gin bottled at 57% ABV or more. The number is not random: at 57%, gunpowder soaked with the spirit will still ignite. On old warships, where gin and gunpowder were stored side by side, this was the sailors' proof that their ration had not been watered down.
Sloe Gin. Made by soaking sloe berries (wild plums) in finished gin with sugar. Legally it is a gin-based liqueur, not a gin, and the EU sets its minimum strength at 25% ABV. Done well, it is autumn in a glass. A beautiful example is made in the Black Forest: see my Monkey 47 visit.
Contemporary / New Western. The unofficial name for modern gins where juniper shares the stage with a local hero: yuzu in Japan, fynbos in South Africa, olives in the Mediterranean. Legally they must still be juniper-led, which creates real debate; I cover that argument in Gin & Juniper Relationship.
Single-Shot vs Multi-Shot: The Industry Secret Nobody Explains
This is the difference gin insiders talk about and consumers never hear.
Single-shot: botanicals and spirit are distilled together in the exact final strength ratio. One batch of distillation equals one batch of gin.
Multi-shot: the distiller makes a concentrated botanical distillate (imagine very strong brewed tea) and then stretches it by blending with more neutral spirit and water afterwards.
Multi-shot is completely legal, even for London Dry, as long as the added spirit is the same high purity (96% ABV or above). Many of the biggest brands in the world use it because it multiplies capacity without building new stills. Purists prefer single-shot; pragmatists point out that blind tastings rarely tell them apart. Now you know the question to ask on your next distillery tour.
How to Read a Gin Label in 10 Seconds
Says only "gin"? Probably compound. Fine for mixing, manage your expectations.
Says "distilled gin"? Botanicals met a real still; additions may follow.
Says "London Dry"? Strictest rules, nothing added after distillation. The benchmark.
Says 57%+? Navy Strength. Respect it.
Says "sloe"? A liqueur. Delicious, but a different animal.
The style tells you the method. The botanicals tell you the flavour. And one berry rules them all: Gin & Juniper Relationship explains the boss of the recipe.
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