Among the gin categories recognised by European regulation, distilled gin is the one that causes the most confusion: it isn't an alternative to London Dry, it's the wider family that contains it. Let's look at what it actually means and how it's made.
A Little History
The category grew out of the evolution of distillation techniques which, from the 19th century onwards, sought to refine the purity and finesse of the final product. With the arrival of column distillation it became possible to obtain a far cleaner base spirit, and on that base, redistillation with botanicals started giving results that had previously been out of reach. We traced the whole path in the history of gin.
How Distilled Gin Is Made
It starts from a neutral alcohol, usually grain-based, at a minimum strength of 37.5% ABV as required by European regulation. That starting alcohol is, to all intents and purposes, the same raw material as vodka: we've written about it here. One characteristic defines the category: the alcohol is redistilled together with the botanicals, in traditional stills.
That step is what separates it from the base "Gin" category, where flavouring can happen without any further distillation, simply by adding flavouring substances. A gin obtained that way cannot be called distilled. The process, step by step, is described in our article on how gin is made.
Distilled Gin and London Dry: What's the Difference
This is the point worth clearing up, because you'll often read the opposite.
London Dry is a distilled gin: it belongs to the same family, but has to meet stricter constraints. In a London Dry, all the aroma must come from redistillation with natural plant materials; no flavourings may be added after distillation, no colourings are allowed, and sugar is limited to minimal quantities.
A distilled gin that isn't London Dry, on the other hand, may receive further flavouring substances after distillation, provided juniper remains the dominant aroma. That extra freedom is exactly what the category grants — and the reason many craft producers choose it. The full picture of the three categories is in our gin wiki.
The Defining Traits
- Redistillation is mandatory. The botanicals have to go through the still together with the alcohol: that's the requirement that defines the category.
- Juniper dominant. It must remain the predominant aroma, as for any gin.
- Room to intervene after distillation. Unlike London Dry, flavouring substances may be added afterwards.
- No geographical constraint. As with London Dry, the definition concerns the method, not the place.
Recommended Uses
Redistilling with the botanicals produces a clean extraction, which in most cases gives a spirit suited both to the classics and to more recent preparations.
- It works well in cocktails where the gin has to stay in the foreground without being too sharp, such as a Martini or a lighter Negroni. You'll find them all in the guide to classic gin cocktails.
- Excellent in a Gin and Tonic, especially with delicate tonics that won't bury the botanicals — and with the right glass.
- It also drinks well neat or over ice, where the nuances of the distilled botanicals have room to come out.
The GIN NIRO Case
GIN NIRO comes from distilling the botanicals separately, but its competition category is that of flavoured gins, because an infusion of Sicilian zibibbo from an island of volcanic origin is added to the distillate. It was in that category — Flavoured Gin — that it won the Silver Medal at the World Gin Awards in 2026.
The full method is on our production method page, and the bottle is here: 70 cl, with free shipping within Italy.
