Juniper is the key botanical in a gin spirit and the only botanical legally required. Despite its name, it is the densely packed cone of a coniferous plant and not a berry, going a long way in explaining its unexpected flavour. Full of resinous pine notes and backed up with hints of citrus because of its high content of the essential oil Pinene.

There are around 50 species of Juniper found around the world. It is primarily Juniperus Communis used in gin. We use heaps of in our first release Welsh Gin, sourced from the alpine regions of Southern Europe, primarily Bulgaria.

Coriander Seed is another staple botanical in Gin. Unlikely the leaf, the dried seed lacks the overpowering flavour of the leaf that often gives Coriander a bad name. Once dried, the aroma of the seed mellows out resulting in subtle woody citrus hints, due to it containing the essential oil linalool.

We use a good amount of Coriander in our Steeltown Gin as it compliments Juniper so well, providing body to the spirit and a dryness. We source our coriander from Eastern Europe, primarily Romania.

Grapefruit packs a punch both in aroma and flavour, nothing wakes you up in the morning quite like Grapefruit.

With a more complex aroma profile than Lemon Peel, due to the essential oil Grapefruit Mercaptan, Grapefruit Peel adds intrigue to the top note of our Steeltown Gin. We source our Grapefruit Peel from the Mediterranean, primarily Spain and Turkey.

Orange Peel is fragrant and sweet in Aroma and differs from Lemon Peel due to a small variation in the essential oil Limonene it contains.

Although not in the first distillery release of our Steeltown Gin, named 1st Release gin for this reason, we are currently working it into the recipe to provide additional complexity and complete our citrus top note. We source our Orange Peel from Mediterranean Europe and North Africa, primarily Spain and Morocco.

Although native to the Mediterranean, Rosemary has settled very well in the coastal regions of South Wales and is used widely in cuisine as an accompaniment to the famed Welsh Lamb. Fragrantly herbaceous, Rosemary has high contents of the essential oil Camphor.

Rosemary sits above the pot when we distil our Steeltown Gin, and the vapours delicately extract the essential oils we require as they pass up through our Gin Still, Laura. We source our Grapefruit Peel from the Mediterranean, primarily Spain, Turkey, and Morocco.

The Lowland Heaths of South Wales are known for their impressive late summer blooms of Heather. Containing essential oils Ursolic Acid and Oleonolic Acid, amongst others, results in a balance of lighter floral notes and heavier musky tones.

Again, although not in the first distillery release of our Steeltown Gin, we are currently working it into the recipe to add to our herbaceous floral mid note. We source our Heather from Central Europe, primarily Germany and Poland.

A relative of Celery, Angelica Root has a complex and all-encompassing fresh and herbaceous aroma, containing the essential oils Pinene, Camphene and Myrcene.  For this reason, it is frequently used in Gin to contribute to its base note, filling in the gap sin the flavour profile and adding to the body of the Gin.

We source our Angelica Root from Western and Central Europe, primarily Belgium and Germany.

Orris Root, the root of the Iris Plant, is a common ingredient of most perfumes and Gin due to its properties as a fixative, allowing a liquid to retain essential oils from longer – prolonging its flavour and aroma. The essential oil that plays this key role, Myristic Acid, is only present in Orris Root after an extensive 5-year drying period.

We use Orris Root in combination with Angelica Root to provide the foundation of the base note of our Steeltown gin – sourced from the Mediterranean, primarily Italy, Albania, and Morocco.

Liquorice is key component of a Gin Distiller’s tool kit. When use in appropriate quantities, the essential oil Anethole can add sweetness to a Gin and improve its mouthfeel – without contributing an overbearing anise flavour.

We source Liquorice Root from Europe, primarily Spain.

Fennel is highly aromatic, and the seeds again contain the essential oil Anethole, in addition to Estragole and Fenchone, giving a pleasant sweet and anise aroma.

We source Fennel Seed from the Mediterranean, primarily Turkey.