Craft gin is the new style of gin that highlights innovation over tradition. It has become so popular because it pushes boundaries and challenges what most people know about this spirit. Craft gin makers, such as Archangel Gin or Old Bakery Gin, focus on making their product unique, with interesting flavours and ingredients, rather than just following traditions.
Craft gin is defined as gin made by a craft distiller. It is often produced in smaller batches and it uses more innovative ingredients than traditional gin recipes, such as using common fruits like cucumber or grapefruit. One example of an artisanal spirit that has been reinvented through creativity and innovation is Hendrick's Gin; this company has created a new style of gin with unusual botanical flavours, rose petals and Bulgarian Rose oil, resulting in very unique taste profiles.
Another interesting way to make craft gin comes from the producers at Greenhook Ginsmiths who use beer brewing methods (brewing spirits). They start out making their own beers but after they've aged them for several weeks, they redistill these same beers again to create their brand-new gin which brings out great flavour profiles.
Just like craft beer, the quality of artisanal gins varies greatly depending on what's used in their process. Craft gin manufacturers use many botanicals such as herbs, spices, fruits and even florals in their distilling process which gives these gins their unique taste. For example, one brand that uses all natural ingredients is Mr Lyan Gin; he only uses citrus peel and botanicals for his gins instead of artificial flavouring agents or sugars which results in a more authentic taste profile than other brands. It also means there are no added food colourings so you get less chemical-looking gin. Furthermore, they use an organic barley malt spirit base with water from Yorkshire Dales to give it its signature clean character, making it very suitable even for vegans who want pure spirits made with plants alone (without animal by products).