NC Craft Gin: A Different Style of Gin

While we wait for our next batch of Single Malt Whiskey to come out of the barrel, we look back to the humble beginnings of the distillery and our focus on both whiskey and NC craft gin.

Is Gin and Genever the same?

To make it easy for our United States audience, we describe our Genever Inspired Gin simply as a “gin”. While at its core, we distill a gin, we opt to take influence from the original Dutch style of gin, Genever. Genever (or Jenever, or even genièvre), originally began as a malt wine distillate, which, at the time, was almost unpalatable due to distillation technology. Genever was then flavored with herbs (namely, Juniper), to create a flavor and spirit that folks would want to consume. 

Why do we produce a Genever Gin?

While we’re not producing an unsavory base spirit at Oak and Grist, we choose to start out our Genever- Inspired NC craft Gin with the same base of 100% malted barley that we use for all our spirits, instead of a neutral spirit most commonly used for Gin. Why do we choose to use a grain base for our Genever-Inspired Gin? Well, for starters, we needed something to sell while our Single Malt Whiskey was aging! (Single Malt Whiskey, according to Scotland’s standards, must be aged for a minimum of 3 years. But you can read more about that here). With a quicker turnaround on our Genever-Inspired Gin, we were able to turn around a sellable spirit in about 1/12th the time. 

With a focus on 100% grain-to-glass distillation practices, we find that our Genever-Inspired Gin is a spirit that reflects the terroir of Western North Carolina. 100% of the barley that we use for our spirits is grown in Shelby, North Carolina, at ASR Grain Company and malted locally in South Asheville by Riverbend Malt House. We then add our unique blend of 8 native Appalachian botanicals to complete the process. By utilizing native botanicals and a regionally-grown grain, we are able to capture the unique flavor of the region.

Long gone are the days of a piney Gin!

Since we begin our NC craft gin with a full-flavored malt base, rather than a neutral spirit base, there is less of a “piney” flavor from the juniper. Botanicals for our gin were selected to compliment, rather than overpower, our base spirit. Our Genever-inspired Gin has a bolder, smoother, and more full flavor- perfect for the whiskey lover! Our 100% malted barley base has a bold & earthy flavor with cereal undertones. Upon taking a sip, the deep base gives way to the sweet, floral, and citrus notes of our local botanicals, resulting in a gin that is balanced yet entirely distinctive. Our recipe includes juniper, coriander, lemon verbena, chamomile, wild sumac, carrot, orris, and angelica root botanicals. 

While we’ve crafted this spirit to be served straight up, our Genever-Inspired Gin is the perfect mixer for your next craft cocktail. The flavor profile of our gin pairs well with bright citrus and tart fruit flavors, as well as light herbal or smoky concoctions.

Crafting a Gin cocktail at home?

Visit our recipes to get some inspiration for your next Genever-Inspired Gin cocktail.