Gin Glossary: Essential Terms and Definitions

A gin label can pack in a surprising amount of vocabulary before the first sip — London Dry, Navy Strength, compound, redistilled, macerated. These terms carry real technical and legal weight, shaping what a distiller is allowed to put in a bottle and what a drinker can expect to find there. This glossary covers the core terminology used across gin production, regulation, and tasting, drawing on definitions from U.S. and international regulatory frameworks to keep things precise.

Definition and Scope

Gin is a neutral spirit flavored predominantly with juniper berries (Juniperus communis), and that single requirement is, in fact, the legal line in the sand. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) defines gin as "a product obtained by original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral spirits, with or from juniper berries and other aromatics or extracts" (TTB, 27 CFR § 5.143). The European Union's Spirits Regulation (EU) 2019/787 maintains a parallel requirement: juniper must be the predominant taste.

The glossary's scope here covers the terms most frequently encountered on bottles, in competition scoresheets, and in distillery specifications available to U.S. consumers and producers.

How It Works: Key Terms Defined

Botanicals — The plant-derived ingredients (roots, berries, peels, seeds, bark) that give gin its flavor profile beyond juniper. A gin botanicals guide typically lists 6 to 10 botanicals in classic recipes; some contemporary producers use more than 40.

Base Spirit — The neutral spirit (usually grain-based, distilled to at least 96% ABV) onto which botanical flavor is layered. The character of the gin base spirit affects mouthfeel and finish even after redistillation.

Maceration — The process of steeping botanicals directly in the base spirit before distillation. Longer maceration (sometimes 24–48 hours) extracts deeper flavors from dense botanicals like roots and dried citrus peel.

Vapor Infusion — An alternative to maceration in which the spirit vapor passes through a basket of botanicals suspended in the still neck, producing lighter, more delicate aromas. Many London Dry gin producers use a combination of both methods.

Redistillation — Redistilling a spirit already carrying botanical flavor, a step required under TTB regulations for gin classified as "distilled gin" rather than compound gin.

Compound Gin — Gin produced by adding botanical extracts, essences, or flavorings to neutral spirit without redistillation. Legal under TTB rules but generally regarded as producing less integrated flavor.

London Dry — A style (not a geographic designation) governed by strict rules: no artificial flavors, no added sugar beyond 0.1 grams per liter, and no colorings. The London Dry gin classification is recognized under both EU Spirits Regulation 2019/787 and U.S. TTB standards.

Navy Strength — A gin bottled at a minimum of 57% ABV (114 U.S. proof). The term references the historical British Royal Navy specification that gunpowder needed to remain ignitable even if the gin soaked into it — a threshold that was, practically speaking, around 57% ABV. See the navy strength gin profile for the full regulatory and historical detail.

Old Tom — A lightly sweetened gin style that historically bridged the gap between Genever and London Dry. Sugar additions typically range from 10 to 30 grams per liter. Covered in detail on the Old Tom gin page.

Genever (Jenever) — The Dutch and Belgian ancestor of modern gin, made with a malt wine base (moutwijn) that gives it a distinctly whisky-adjacent character. Protected as a geographical indication under EU law. The Genever gin article traces how this diverges from English gin traditions.

Sloe Gin — A liqueur (not technically a gin under TTB regulations) made by macerating sloe berries in gin with added sugar. Minimum ABV under EU rules is 25%; U.S. regulations classify it separately from gin. See sloe gin for the regulatory breakdown.

ABV (Alcohol by Volume) — The percentage of ethanol in the total liquid volume, the standard measurement on U.S. labels. The TTB requires gin to be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV (80 proof) for sale in the United States (27 CFR § 5.143).

Proof — The U.S. system expressing spirit strength as twice the ABV. A gin at 47% ABV is 94 proof.

Common Scenarios

These terms cluster in predictable contexts:

  1. Label reading — "London Dry," "Distilled Gin," "Compound Gin," and ABV appear on virtually every U.S. bottle, governed by TTB labeling rules detailed in the gin labeling requirements reference.
  2. Competition judging — Terms like "juniper-forward," "floral," "citrus-led," and "dry finish" form the tasting vocabulary used by organizations like the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
  3. Cocktail specifications — Bartenders invoking "Navy Strength" or "Old Tom" in recipes are making structural decisions, since a 57% ABV pour behaves differently from a 40% ABV pour in dilution and flavor balance. The gin alcohol content page covers how ABV interacts with cocktail structure.
  4. Distillery licensing — TTB applicants distinguishing between "distilled gin" and "compound gin" face different production documentation requirements. The starting a gin distillery in the U.S. overview outlines where these classifications appear in the permit process.

Decision Boundaries

The sharpest distinctions in gin terminology fall along regulatory lines, not stylistic ones:

The gin styles and categories page maps these distinctions visually. For the full regulatory framework governing all of these terms in the United States, the gin regulations U.S. reference is the authoritative starting point. The GinAuthority home provides an orientation to how all these categories connect across production, tasting, and culture.

References

Read Next

Gin Botanicals: The Complete Guide to Flavoring Agents This page covers the full scope of gin botanicals: what they are, how they work, why certain combinations produce the flavors... Base Spirits Used in Gin Production What that canvas is made from matters more than the final label usually admits. London Dry Gin: Definition, Rules, and Examples Its rules dictate not just what goes in, but when, how, and in what order.