Founded in Schiedam, Holland in 1691 by Joannes Nolet, the Nolet Distillery has remained a prominent fixture in the city’s distilling history, surviving throughout the French Revolution and two World Wars. The distillery has been exporting spirits to the United States since the late 19th century. Today, the Nolet Distillery is the oldest distillery in Holland that is still in the hands of the founding family, a testament to the strength of the Nolet family. Their tradition of distilling spirits continues through tenth generation owner Carolus Nolet and his two sons, Carl Nolet, Jr., and Bob Nolet. Together their passion for this craft inspired them to create gins of unparalleled distinction for the 21st century. Aviation is produced in Portland, Oregon, by House Spirits Distillery. It is distilled from neutral grain spirit with 100 percent rye base, an unusual beginning in the gin market. It's flavored with juniper, anise seed, Elettaria cardamom, coriander, lavender, sweet orange peel, and sarsaparilla. It, too, is slightly overproofed, bottled at 42 percent ABV (84 proof), so it's not as delicate as it's often made out to be. Gin isn't just from England and the U.S. Distilleries all over the world produce versions that try to capture the character of where they're made. There are three main categories. Distilled gin is produced from a mash of grains in the same way that whiskey might be. Redistilled gin is a neutral grain spirit that has been distilled a second time. And compound gin is a neutral grain spirit that’s been infused with flavors (this is the least common style). While you can use nearly any botanical you can think of to flavor gin, juniper is the key ingredient. There are two ways to infuse the botanical flavors into gin—either by macerating them in the spirit, or suspending them in what is essentially a large tea bag above the spirit and infusing the gin with vapors. Then there are a few different styles of gin to consider.

Gin is made by infusing a neutral base spirit with botanicals, the most prominent of which must be juniper. Hayman's Old Tom Gin is one of the best examples of this old-world style, though it was only recently launched in 2007. Produced by Hayman Distillers of Witham, England, it is based on a family recipe from the 1870s. Carolus used the antique coal-fired alembic copper pot still, 'Distilleerketel #1' which had also been the inspiration for his premium genever, to make a pot still vodka. However, pot stills produce very heavy-tasting vodkas which was not the character he was searching for, so he blended this with column still vodka. After much experimentation, Carolus perfected the methods and the blend used to make Ketel One Vodka. A vodka with a crispness from the column still and the rounded sophistication from the pot still. Ketel One Vodka's success was not built upon clever marketing or PR, it was built by Bob and Carl going from bar to bar, meeting bartenders, forming enduring friendships and telling people about the vodka their father had created. There are different styles of gin to consider these days, especially with the rapid growth of the craft distillery movement here in America. You may want a really traditional London dry style, heavy on the juniper, that classic British name brands will offer.

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If you have yet to taste genever, it is unlike any other gin you've had. This style of gin is as if a soft Scotch whisky were married with gin, and Bols' malty feel is a perfect example. Based on Lucas Bols' original recipe from 1820, it has a wonderful balance of sweet malt and subdued juniper and citrus. It is triple distilled using equal parts malt wine and neutral grain spirits that are infused with natural flavors.

NOLET’S Reserve is the family’s quintessential “sipping gin” that captures the aromas of a variety of spices and botanicals, allowing for an intense and layered long-lasting taste. A personal creation of Carolus Sr.’s, four decades in the making, NOLET’S Reserve is handmade in small batches, personally supervised by him. Only a few hundred bottles are released each year and they are all individually numbered by hand and presented in a distinguished gift box. In his own words, NOLET’S Reserve is “a gin of unprecedented excellence that builds on our family’s rich history.” By around 1880, Schiedam had 400 distillers and another Joannes moved his family's distillery to its present location at Hoofdstraat. Distribution was helped by the new railways and canals that spread across Europe at the time, while steamships started to sail from the nearby shipyards of Rotterdam. As millions of Europeans sought a new life in the United States so the invention of the telegraph opened up communications. We may be a nation of gin and tonic devotees, but that doesn’t mean that your imagination has to stop at ‘ice and a slice’. Take inspiration from a bottle’s botanicals, and choose a couple of those as a fresh garnish. Our favourites include slices of cucumber, a sprig of rosemary or a wedge of grapefruit, to name but a few.London Dry Gin: The old guard brands mostly distill London Dry-style gin in the UK, although it does not actually have a geographical indicator. The main rules of this designation are that juniper must be the dominant flavor (as it is for all gin) and botanicals must flavor the gin during distillation, with no flavor or color added afterwards. Brands like Beefeater and Tanqueray are classics for a reason, but the world of gin has expanded enormously over the past 20 years as new distilleries tinker with the formula. Up to this time the Nolet Distillery had predominantly made genever, most of which was sold in the Netherlands where it was by far the biggest selling spirit. However, Carolus took over just as a price war was starting with several of the larger producers trying to squeeze out their smaller rivals. Rather than enter this price war Carolus launched a new, premium genever with a much higher price point. Supported by retailers whose margins had also been squeezed in the price war, the new genever, Ketel 1, named after the oldest pot still, Distilleerketel #1, went from strength to strength. But if you’re looking for something with a wider array of botanicals, distilleries around the country, as well as some abroad, make their own new school gins. These all include juniper as a base flavor, of course, but often use spices and fruit that define the region in which they are produced. And consider price as well when deciding on a gin, because some of the best are the least expensive.