It is now “gin-mania”, widespread throughout the country. The distillate is increasingly popular and the production has reached noteworthy quality levels. In this article we talk about some (only some) of the best known distilleries
As a gregarious, think of two very classic such as gin and tonic and dry martini, the absolute protagonist. The new course of this spirit with a centuries-old history was sudden and unexpected. Moral: we are in full gin-mania. And above all in front of a product of Italian origins. We have preceded the doctor and naturalist Franciscus de la Boe who modified the formulation of the first proto-gins produced, moreover in Italy, by the Salerno Medical School in the Middle Ages, towards the middle of the seventeenth century. This is demonstrated by the discovery of De ‘Secreti by the reverend D. Alessio Piemontese, a document dated 1555. The time has come to rewrite its history.
We, in our own small way, wanted to talk about it to celebrate our beautiful country which, with its huge biodiversity index, allows us to personalize it in an original but absolutely correct way. After testing several, here are the ones that impressed us the most. Gin GioVe (Gin of Veneto) is the first and only gin in the world that has the Glera grape as its main botany, hand-picked together with the leaves of the vine right in the Venetian hills, which have also become a UNESCO heritage site. A very precious white berried grape, formed by large and long clusters with golden-yellow berries, famous everywhere with the name of Prosecco, which is combined with juniper, coriander, angelica. On the nose it is the leaves that give the herbaceous aromas, while on the palate the herbaceous notes are sublimated by the aromaticity of the grape, prevalent together with the juniper. It is a gin wanted by two young Venetian guys and a teetotal friend, distilled by hand in a discontinuous copper alembic with the London Dry method (single distillation with all the ingredients in the alembic) customized by the Eugin Independent Distillery of Meda. The recycled glass bottle recalls the shape of the terracotta amphorae, where wine was stored in antiquity. 42 euros, 70 cl, 42 ABV. The history of the distillery is also worth it. The idea was born in 2014 by Eugenio, the younger of two brothers who, after having seen a scene from “The perfume”, is fascinated by the idea of working with a still, thus starting to cultivate this passion as a domestic hobby. In 2018, Robert arrives, the still from Germany, is lit for the first time and Eugin distills the first, true, official batch of Eugin Number 7, to which are added Number 9, and the series linked to seasonality. All gins designed with the head, created with the hands and distilled with the heart. From 40 euros, 70 cl, 43.2% ABV. Piero 58 Navy Strength was released on the market on January 1st of this year and was immediately awarded a bronze medal at the IWSC 2022 as the best gin with a high alcohol content. This is indicated by the wording nevy strength, which refers to gins that exceed 57% (the classic ones range from 37.5% to 47%). The name originated in 700, when the British Navy loaded a supply of gin on each ship, for its healing qualities.
To find out the dilutions, the officers mixed a small amount with the gunpowder and set it on fire. If a flame lit up it was irrefutable proof of its genuineness. This, which has been pushed to 58%, is the evolution of Piero Dry Gin, a typical London Dry, quite exotic transparent with 5 botanicals, juniper, sweet orange, cardamom, ginger, marjoram to which it is A sixth secret ingredient has been added, capable of giving the nose a floral aroma, together with the distinct sensation of juniper, followed by an accentuated spicy note and a slight balsamic hint. The palate confirms the predominance of juniper, which is contrasted by the enveloping notes of other botanicals. In the finish a rich, persistent and resinous taste emerges, with a sweet aftertaste given by the secret ingredient. Piero 58 was born from the strong passion of Gianpiero Giuliano, from Brescia but of Abruzzo origins and for this reason he chose to have them made by the Enrico Toro distillery, near Pescara. But his story comes from further afield. In 2008 he was traveling for the multinational he worked for, he falls in love with gin, to the point of collecting over 100 different ones. He does a master in 2018/2019 bringing the idea of Piero Dry Gin as a thesis, continuing up to production. In the bottle, opaque black, with bronze contrasts, he has put his face as a guarantee of quality. 54 euros, 70 cl, 58% ABV. Distinto Gin Italiano is a distilled gin produced in the artisan distillery Cillario & Marazzi north of Varese, with a discontinuous steam still, exclusively for Bottega degli Spiriti, and with 14 botanicals. A good balance since there is no real one limit for the number.
The botanicals are placed in a separate chamber of the distiller, so they are not macerated with alcohol. Alcohol takes on its flavor thanks to evaporation and the path through the still. This allows you to have a less pungent taste in the throat, more rounded, despite having two different types of pepper that give a slight tingle on the tongue. On the nose there is a good part of bergamot and cardamom, which give a fantastic freshness. When it is swallowed, the smell of alcohol does not remain, the juniper always returns both to the nose, but even more to the palate. A gin that at the end of the distillation is infused with Butterfly Pea Flower, a Thai flower that gives it a very strong purple color. The effect of Butterfly Pea Flower in cocktails is very particular, because it chemically reacts to acidity, so the more acidic the tonic, the more the Gin Tonic takes on a pink hue, while in the cold, and it happens for example when preparing a Martini, it becomes blue. . The name Distinto then embodies the concept of exclusivity for limited editions of even just 30 bottles. The handwritten logo in gold with an also exclusive font stands out in front of the purple of the gin. 44.90 euros, 50 cl, 42.5% ABV. Valentina Milano Gin Dry is part of the gins of Valentina, the mythical character designed by Guido Crepax. She was one of the first women to star in a comic that was quite revolutionary and transgressive at the time. The botanicals that distinguish it are three in addition to juniper. The hawthorn because Valentina was born on December 24, 1942, the day when the kiss under the mistletoe is propitiatory for luck in love. The oak and the laurel, because they recall Milan, as the two branches are placed under the shield of the city. The gin with a crystalline appearance that derives from a prolonged maceration for about ten days, is for true connoisseurs: precise, decisive, spicy, with deep and penetrating olfactory scents, very vertical. Juniper is supported by the balsamic notes of hawthorn, followed by the herbaceous notes of laurel and oak leaf.
Mentholated sensations due to botanicals present in smaller quantities then close the whole. It is sold in an impactful, cylindrical bottle, which obviously shows the image of Valentina on the label, inside an elegant themed box. It is part of a line that includes two others, made in collaboration with the sons of the famous advertiser, from Seci 1981. In the Valentina Extra Gin 4 Tonic, the basic one, indicated for gin and tonic, we find the citrus part that makes it more intense. a little more drinkable, simpler. The Valentina Milano Gin n ° 1 is, on the other hand, drier. Respectively from 40, 37 and 35 euros, 70cl, 40% ABV. If you want, there is a box that collects the n ° 1 and the Gin Dry, 77 euros. 359 Gin is so called because it was born in Erba, in the province of Como, more precisely in the hamlet of Crevenna, located just 359 meters above the sea. Caino and Elena depict the two types, “Il Botanico” (with Caino) and “Il Fruttato” (with Elena), both compounds. The production method, by 359 Spirits SNC, provides that the botanicals are distilled separately with a base of soft wheat alcohol in a batch still. Subsequently, the individual distillates are combined with essential oils to improve the balance of flavors. Two gins that tell the story of their territory through the further story of Cain, the famous bandit of the 1600s who lived in the bush so as not to be captured, where juniper infusions were prepared. And of Elena, her unrequited love that she spied every day, as she took her clothes to the wash house with a basket where she stored the berries, which she collected along the way, which, frightened by Cain, ran away to take refuge from the village priest.
The first is the result of the combination of juniper, angelica and coriander balanced by hints of citrus, which immediately stand out on the nose with the notes of bergamot, the sour lemon and the sweetness of mandarin, an unusual botany in gin. The second, on the other hand, derives from the set of small productions of wild berries combined with juniper berries, therefore with a slightly sweet part calibrated with the use of the fruit leaves. Appreciated by the most delicate palates, it has a sweet and intense aroma, the fresh and aromatic flavor of juniper, a sour trace of blackberries and blueberries, and a warm and spicy note of wild strawberries for an unexpected taste down to the last drop. Gin with the priest soon to be released. € 37.50, 50 cl, 40% ABV.
