Why Coastal Gins Are Making Waves Right Now

Vogue

6 days ago

Modern gin is a delightful thing. Where peppery, piney berries have historically dominated the spirit, our modern gins, our New Westerns celebrate botanicals beyond the ubiquitous juniper. Florals may take the lead. Some turn to citrus, while others opt for berries, melon, or stonefruit. Herbs like lemongrass and rosemary, or a spice box of ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon may prevail. The ever-changing face of modern gin has birthed many styles to pique the palate of the gin aficionado—or anyone partial to the odd G&T. It's clear to see why the gin sector is expected to reach upwards of $18 billion by 2029. But spoiled for choice as we are, it's the recent wave of maritime-inspired small-batch coastal gins that I'll be sipping this summer.
'A coastal gin is more than a spirit influenced by the sea,' Bogdan Tanasiou, president of BBC Spirits, tells Vogue. 'For us, a true coastal gin should reflect the purity, minerality, and balance found in nature.' Charlie Maas, CEO of Papa Salt Coastal Gin, considers it more of a mindset. 'To put it another way, we like to drink at the beach, but we don't want to drink the beach,' he says.
Sea spray and seaweed. Sea kale and kelp. Drawing inspiration from botanicals on both sides of the shoreline, coastal gins offer a generous hit of umami, saline minerality, and freshness that conjure aromas and flavors of the salt-tinged seaside: Cornwall's kelp and bladderwrack; the sea buckthorn berry and samphire that dot the islands and coasts of Scotland; Australian saltbush, wax flower, and wattleseed; the tidal troves of nori and kombu that thrive in the cold waters of the California Current.
These gins aren't always limited to true botanicals. At the Isle of Bute Distillery, Rothesay, the team pioneered the use of oyster shells—what distillery manager Iona Buick calls, 'an honorary botanical.' She explains, 'The old distiller was also a brewer. He grew up in Kent where oyster stout is a thing. So we thought, if it works in beer, why not see if it works in gin?' If the subtle saline and mineral streak running through the distillery's Oyster Gin are anything to go by, the wild bivalves harvested from the nearby Loch Fyne couldn't be more complementary. Now, oyster shells are appearing in coastal gins worldwide.