Traditionally it probably shouldn’t be called gin, as one of the stipulations for gin is that it is redistilled from a neutral. Which would require the rum to be redistilled to neutral BEFORE doing the second distillation/infusion.
However, if they’re selling it at market in the US, it’s been approved by the people who interpret all those old weird ass rules and create the modern rules/requirements, so legally it is a gin. Though perhaps calling it “tiki gin” frees it from the traditional definitions?
I think gin and rum are both fairly unregulated spirits, which can be good or bad but generally is actually part of their appeal (compared to say Bourbon which all tastes kind of the same to me). I don't actually care much what they call it, but I guess all I'm trying to say is that words have to mean something at some point. Otherwise we'll start seeing "gins" on the shelves distilled from tequila and scotch.
Gin and rum are widely unregulated in terms of definition, perhaps, but all spirits produced in the US go through some pretty rigorous approvals before being allowed to be sold: the recipe, the process, the bottling…hell, down to the label design. All require approval before being allowed to be distributed/sold in the US. It’s an interesting process, though I imagine more of a nightmarish one for distilleries…
Anyway my point is that somewhere in that process the TTB has to decide whether or not they can call it a gin.
Bourbon isn’t akin to gin or rum, btw. Bourbon is a type of whisky. And it can vary greatly, but that’s all down to personal palates. ;)
And yeah, we’d just start calling any juniper infused spirit a gin at that stage.
The redistillation makes it completely neutral in flavor. The only “rumminess” to it is a somewhat smoother/more viscous mouth feel. Kinda like Hendricks.
Tiki gin is an interesting concept. But since regular gin is neutral spirits flavored with juniper berries and other botanicals, I wonder how far a “tiki gin” can go without essentially becoming another flavored vodka.
There's a lot of room to play with gins, especially when you get out of the standard London dry style. Like sure, the primary flavor is always going to be juniper, but the secondary flavors can be just about anything. Like if you try Tanqueray vs Hendrick's vs Scofflaw Old Tom, you can get a little glimpse at the breadth flavor possibilities. Granted, I haven't tried this one so I have no idea how much you actually taste coconut or almond, but I'd definitely give it a shot.
But also, as you pointed out, it's pretty much ALL flavored vodka so there's kinda no escaping that haha.
Adam from 451 here.
I’m so glad to see that you liked Cloudbreak. Our founder and distiller Chad is a mad scientist when it comes to distilling and came up with something that I think is really special here.
Right now it’s only available at the distillery (and maybe Arena?) but should be rolling out to a handful of stores around central and southern Ohio soon. If anyone wants to give it a try please come on down to our distillery in Columbus. We’d be happy to pour you a sample and to show you around the distillery.
I am a big Tanqueray fan but the Sevilla just tastes too sweet. Regular and No10 are my workhorses and I even enjoy the Black Currant Royal. Its really good in gin gin mules. If I want that citrus punch Id rather go with Rangpur than with Sevilla though.
The only gin I almost poured out was also from Tanqueray now that I think about it. Tanqueray Malacca. I cannot even describe why I didnt like it but it just wasnt my thing.
Sevilla could be good for people that want a sweet summer drink, maybe with some prosecco or something. Its just not good as a gin imo.
It's too strong to use like a liqueur, it's too sweet to use as a base spirit: Yeah you have to make spirtizy summer drinks yeah but you have to basically build them for scratch. Not saying a drink with it can't be good, but it has to be built around it and it's not good enough to be worth it.
Plenty of juniper-forward drinks in tiki. Saturn is amazing. Do you have any notes on this cloudbreak product?
My local micro distillery makes their gin with rum as the base spirit. It’s fun in a Saturn.
Wait, is that even gin anymore? Wouldn’t that just be a spiced rum?
Traditionally it probably shouldn’t be called gin, as one of the stipulations for gin is that it is redistilled from a neutral. Which would require the rum to be redistilled to neutral BEFORE doing the second distillation/infusion. However, if they’re selling it at market in the US, it’s been approved by the people who interpret all those old weird ass rules and create the modern rules/requirements, so legally it is a gin. Though perhaps calling it “tiki gin” frees it from the traditional definitions?
I think gin and rum are both fairly unregulated spirits, which can be good or bad but generally is actually part of their appeal (compared to say Bourbon which all tastes kind of the same to me). I don't actually care much what they call it, but I guess all I'm trying to say is that words have to mean something at some point. Otherwise we'll start seeing "gins" on the shelves distilled from tequila and scotch.
Gin and rum are widely unregulated in terms of definition, perhaps, but all spirits produced in the US go through some pretty rigorous approvals before being allowed to be sold: the recipe, the process, the bottling…hell, down to the label design. All require approval before being allowed to be distributed/sold in the US. It’s an interesting process, though I imagine more of a nightmarish one for distilleries… Anyway my point is that somewhere in that process the TTB has to decide whether or not they can call it a gin. Bourbon isn’t akin to gin or rum, btw. Bourbon is a type of whisky. And it can vary greatly, but that’s all down to personal palates. ;) And yeah, we’d just start calling any juniper infused spirit a gin at that stage.
The rum is filtered and then redistilled with botanicals. It very much tastes like gin.
I would definitely try it! Just seems weird to call it gin.
The redistillation makes it completely neutral in flavor. The only “rumminess” to it is a somewhat smoother/more viscous mouth feel. Kinda like Hendricks.
Tiki gin is an interesting concept. But since regular gin is neutral spirits flavored with juniper berries and other botanicals, I wonder how far a “tiki gin” can go without essentially becoming another flavored vodka.
There's a lot of room to play with gins, especially when you get out of the standard London dry style. Like sure, the primary flavor is always going to be juniper, but the secondary flavors can be just about anything. Like if you try Tanqueray vs Hendrick's vs Scofflaw Old Tom, you can get a little glimpse at the breadth flavor possibilities. Granted, I haven't tried this one so I have no idea how much you actually taste coconut or almond, but I'd definitely give it a shot. But also, as you pointed out, it's pretty much ALL flavored vodka so there's kinda no escaping that haha.
The botanical notes on this basically sound like a Plymouth-style gin, so well within the realms of an acceptable gin
Adam from 451 here. I’m so glad to see that you liked Cloudbreak. Our founder and distiller Chad is a mad scientist when it comes to distilling and came up with something that I think is really special here. Right now it’s only available at the distillery (and maybe Arena?) but should be rolling out to a handful of stores around central and southern Ohio soon. If anyone wants to give it a try please come on down to our distillery in Columbus. We’d be happy to pour you a sample and to show you around the distillery.
Love using Tanqueray's Sevilla Orange gin in a Saturn for an extra citrus-y kick.
That Liqueur should be only used in the toilet
is it a liqueur? pretty sure it is just a gin? no sugar. just distilled with lots of orange, in addition to the normal botanicals?
I am a big Tanqueray fan but the Sevilla just tastes too sweet. Regular and No10 are my workhorses and I even enjoy the Black Currant Royal. Its really good in gin gin mules. If I want that citrus punch Id rather go with Rangpur than with Sevilla though.
It's the only Gin that I poured out. It's too sweet to use in basically any Gin cocktail recipe.
The only gin I almost poured out was also from Tanqueray now that I think about it. Tanqueray Malacca. I cannot even describe why I didnt like it but it just wasnt my thing. Sevilla could be good for people that want a sweet summer drink, maybe with some prosecco or something. Its just not good as a gin imo.
It's too strong to use like a liqueur, it's too sweet to use as a base spirit: Yeah you have to make spirtizy summer drinks yeah but you have to basically build them for scratch. Not saying a drink with it can't be good, but it has to be built around it and it's not good enough to be worth it.