Hendrick's Gin
Encyclopedia
Hendrick's Gin is a brand of gin
produced by William Grant & Sons
in Girvan
, Scotland
. In addition to the traditional juniper
infusion, Hendrick's uses Bulgarian rose
and cucumber
to add flavor. Hendrick's gin is bottled in a dark brown apothecary
-style bottle.
, originally built in 1860 by Bennett, Sons & Shears. Both have been restored to working order after being bought at auction in the 1960s by current William Grant Life President, Charles Gordon. The two stills produce strikingly different styles of gin due to their different construction and methods of distillation.
The pot still is generally referred to as the Bennett still. The still itself is quite small, which in general will allow most of the flavour characteristics of the botanicals to pass into the spirit. The still is charged with neutral spirit and the botanical recipe added to the liquid, along with some water. This is left to steep for 24 hours, which begins the process of extracting the flavour from the botanicals. The still is then heated by means of an external steam jacket to boil the liquid. As the pot begins to boil, vapour moves up the short column of the still and eventually meets the condenser, where vapours are turned back to liquid and collected. First runnings can be as high as 92% alcohol, with a gradual decrease in the strength as the distillation progresses. Once all of the alcohol is collected, the final spirit will be approximately 75% alcohol v/v. This spirit is of a heavy, oily character with a strong juniper-flavour.
In contrast, the spirit derived from the Carter-Head still is much subtler with light floral and sweet fragrances. Its method of production is quite different, with only the neutral spirit and water added to the pot of this still. All botanicals used with the Carter-Head are added to a flavour basket at the very top of the still. Rather than boiling the botanicals, which produces the strong pungent spirit of the Bennett still, the Carter-Head bathes the botanicals in the alcohol vapours only. As these rise up through the still, they enter the base of the botanicals basket. Inside, the botanicals are contained in copper baskets, which hold them together while allowing the vapours to be fully exposed. As the evaporated alcohol moves through the botanicals it efficiently extracts flavours from them, which are carried out of the basket along with the alcohol until they reach the condenser. Only the lighter, sweeter and floral flavours are able to be extracted by this method, which gives the spirit its distinctive character.
The final Hendrick's gin is a blend of these two spirits with an addition of Cucumber essence and Rose petal essence.
garnished with cucumber
instead of the traditional citrus
.
organisations generally have been very complimenatary as well. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, for example, awarded two double gold, two gold, and two silver medals in the years 2004-2005 and 2007-2010. The Beverage Testing Institute gave the gin well-above-average scores of 93, 94 and 95 in 2007, 2009, and 2010.
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
produced by William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons Ltd. is an independent, family-owned Scottish company which distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is now run by the descendants of the founder. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky...
in Girvan
Girvan
Girvan is a burgh in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 8000 people. Originally a fishing port, it is now also a seaside resort with beaches and cliffs. Girvan dates back to 1668 when is became a municipal burgh incorporated by by charter...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In addition to the traditional juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
infusion, Hendrick's uses Bulgarian rose
Rosa damascena
Rosa × damascena, more commonly known as the Damask rose , the Damascus rose, or sometimes as the Rose of Castile, is a rose hybrid, derived from Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata...
and cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
to add flavor. Hendrick's gin is bottled in a dark brown apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
-style bottle.
Distillation
Hendrick's uses a blend of spirits produced from a Carter-Head Still (constructed in 1948), of which there are only a small number in the world, and a small pot stillPot still
A pot still is a type of still used in distilling spirits such as whisky or brandy. Heat is applied directly to the pot containing the wash or wine . This is called a batch distillation ....
, originally built in 1860 by Bennett, Sons & Shears. Both have been restored to working order after being bought at auction in the 1960s by current William Grant Life President, Charles Gordon. The two stills produce strikingly different styles of gin due to their different construction and methods of distillation.
The pot still is generally referred to as the Bennett still. The still itself is quite small, which in general will allow most of the flavour characteristics of the botanicals to pass into the spirit. The still is charged with neutral spirit and the botanical recipe added to the liquid, along with some water. This is left to steep for 24 hours, which begins the process of extracting the flavour from the botanicals. The still is then heated by means of an external steam jacket to boil the liquid. As the pot begins to boil, vapour moves up the short column of the still and eventually meets the condenser, where vapours are turned back to liquid and collected. First runnings can be as high as 92% alcohol, with a gradual decrease in the strength as the distillation progresses. Once all of the alcohol is collected, the final spirit will be approximately 75% alcohol v/v. This spirit is of a heavy, oily character with a strong juniper-flavour.
In contrast, the spirit derived from the Carter-Head still is much subtler with light floral and sweet fragrances. Its method of production is quite different, with only the neutral spirit and water added to the pot of this still. All botanicals used with the Carter-Head are added to a flavour basket at the very top of the still. Rather than boiling the botanicals, which produces the strong pungent spirit of the Bennett still, the Carter-Head bathes the botanicals in the alcohol vapours only. As these rise up through the still, they enter the base of the botanicals basket. Inside, the botanicals are contained in copper baskets, which hold them together while allowing the vapours to be fully exposed. As the evaporated alcohol moves through the botanicals it efficiently extracts flavours from them, which are carried out of the basket along with the alcohol until they reach the condenser. Only the lighter, sweeter and floral flavours are able to be extracted by this method, which gives the spirit its distinctive character.
The final Hendrick's gin is a blend of these two spirits with an addition of Cucumber essence and Rose petal essence.
Serving
Hendrick's suggests that the gin be served with tonic over iceIce
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
garnished with cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
instead of the traditional citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
.
Awards and reviews
The Wall Street Journal described Hendrick's as the "Best Gin in the World" in 2003. Other spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
organisations generally have been very complimenatary as well. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, for example, awarded two double gold, two gold, and two silver medals in the years 2004-2005 and 2007-2010. The Beverage Testing Institute gave the gin well-above-average scores of 93, 94 and 95 in 2007, 2009, and 2010.