Tony's (Mostly) Whisky Corner: Caorunn Gin
Giving traditional gins a… Caorunn… for the money
When we think of UK gin, most of us think of England, its spiritual epicenter and the home of the ubiquitous London Dry. But Scotland is busy catching up with its United Kingdom sibling as the home of some mighty fine and distinctive gins.
One of the finest, and most distinctive, is Caorunn. Founded in 2009 and distilled at the Balmenach distillery in the Speyside region, Caorunn hews to tradition on the one hand, while innovating and taking liberties with the other. Six classic botanicals are at the heart of this gin, including coriander, cassia bark, and lemon peel, in addition to juniper.
On top of that classic base, distiller Simon Buley gives it a Scottish touch with the addition of five locally sourced and wild-foraged botanicals not typically found in gin: rowan berry, bog myrtle, dandelion, heather, and coul blush apple. “Each of our Celtic botanicals brings an important flavor cue,” says gin master Simon Buley. “Rowan berries are the soul of Caorunn and are also the inspiration for our name, bog myrtle is sweet and resinous, heather has subtle perfumed undertones, coul blush is sweet, clean and aromatic and dandelion lends a hint of sharpness. All five together create balance and flavour that add complexity.”
The neutral grain spirit that forms the base of the gin is made from local water and distilled from wheat, which Buley says is “a much cleaner spirit that allows each of the botanicals to sing in our final product.” The botanicals are vapor-infused using Caorunn’s unique “Copper Berry Chamber,” in which the botanicals are on horizontal trays, instead of in baskets. This allows the vapor to come in contact with the botanicals over a wider area and for a longer time than in typical vapor stills.
The finished product, which won a silver medal in the 2018 NY International Spirits Competition, is decidedly modern, but unlike most modern style gins, it doesn’t use citrus to tone down the juniper—its sweetness is more rounded, with apple notes not found in a traditional London dry. It’s a little sweet for a Martini, but it makes an excellent gin & tonic, which is Caorunn’s signature serve. Playing up the flavor profile, it’s actually supposed to be served with apple slices rather than lime.
It works well in most long drinks, with the crisp sweetness playing well off most mixers. For fans of traditional gins, it’s a fun and refreshing change of pace; for acolytes of the new, it’s a unique gin worth searching out.