McKenzie Distiller's Reserve Gin
At FLD, We Love Gin!
As many of you know, we created Seneca Drums Gin to be a flavorful grape-based gin, with a rich botanical mix you can't find in typical London-dry styles. Thomas Earl (our Master Distiller) says the pine, citrus and floral aromas create levels of flavors that all complement each other.
We thank all of you who have shared your praise for Seneca Drums and told us how much you've enjoyed it in your gin and tonics, martinis and other wonderful cocktails. But we couldn't leave well enough alone.
We wondered if we could make a few minor modifications to the recipe to create a new gin - slightly different in style, but equally-delicious. So we took our Seneca Drums formula, tweaked it a bit, lightened it up, did a little of this and that, added some surprises and...
"Voila!"
McKenzie Distiller's Reserve Gin was born.
It's created in the same flavorful style as Seneca Drums, but has more focused citrus notes and is not as herbaceous.
"Think of it as a souped-up version of Seneca Drums," Master Distiller Thomas Earl says. "Plus, it's 91 proof. You'll get more smiles to the gallon."
After a few tasting sessions, we decided that we liked our new gin so much, that we should distinguish it by making it part of our McKenzie line of spirits. You'll notice it on the shelf with a newly designed label that's inspired by our McKenzie Whiskeys. It looks quite different from our funky Seneca Drums label, so don't worry about confusing the two. We feel McKenzie Distiller's Reserve Gin is ideal for a dry martini or straight up, perhaps shaken over ice.
What makes our gins so great?
We like flavor, so instead of using the typical grain-based neutral spirits to create our gin, we start with locally-grown grapes and distill them into a base spirit with a more robust flavor profile. We then soak our botanicals in the alcohol and conduct secondary distillations to extract the most flavor possible.
In contrast, other gin makers boil grain neutral spirit and pass it through what is called a Carterhead still, which sends vapors through a basket of botanicals to "steam" flavor into the final product. This makes a lighter-style gin that is sometimes blended with grain neutral spirit after distillation, diluting the flavor further. Another common method used to make "compounded" gin, is performed by blending gin oils or flavorings with grain neutral spirits. This is what was referred to as "bathtub" gin during prohibition. No thanks. We prefer our hand-crafted gin with real flavor.
While many micro-distillers are making fine gins, we think you'll find that our Seneca Drums Gin and our new McKenzie Distiller's Reserve Gin both have special flavors that stand out. Our distilling process and unique blend of botanicals may be nontraditional, but we feel they create delicious gin.
So, we invite you to come visit FLD to taste them yourself. Try our Seneca Drums Gin and our newest spirit, McKenzie Distiller's Reserve Gin. Which will you prefer?