Juniper berries are the key ingredient in any and every gin! These berries give a piny fresh wood with subtle hints of fruity citrus flavours. Herbaceous and floral juniper gives gin its distinct flavour. It can be used on its on or used in conjunction with a vast array of botanicals to make your own unique gin.
Junipers are members of the ancient cypress family. They made their earliest appearance during the Triassic period, 250 million years go. Juniper communis, can be native to Europe, Asia, and North America. Gin distillers prefer juniper berries from Tuscany, Morocco, and eastern Europe. Much of it is still wild harvested.
Juniper Berries contain α-Pinene, which imparts a pine or rosemary flavour, as well as myrcene, which is found in cannabis, hops and wild thyme. Limonene, the lively citrus flavour common in many herbs and spices is present as well. It is no wonder that juniper is combined with coriander, lemon peel and other spices to make gin - the same compounds are found in many of those other plants, just in different combinations.
Juniper is the only botanical which is in all gins. The cones of the juniper bush (often referred to as “juniper berries”) are required by legal statute, to be present and perceptible, in order for a spirit to be called gin. Juniper is in 100% of spirits that are designated as gins.
The juniper berry is known for imparting the traditional pine note of gin, although it can also come across as resiny, waxy, herbaceous, or even green and fresh. The juniper in gin is generally Juniperus communis; however, occasionally distillers use local species which can have a very different flavor in gin.
The aroma and taste of juni-Decper is – or at least should be – the signature note in any gin, both on the nose and on the palate. Even the name Gin itself is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean juniper.
Any classic London Dry Gin should carry noticable flavours of juniper.
Form:
- Whole Berries
Pack Sizes:
- 100g
- 1 Kg (SAVE 40% OFF 100g Price)
- 5 Kg (SAVE 16% OFF 1 Kg Price)
- 20 Kg (SAVE 33% OFF 1 Kg Price)
Botanical Name:
- Juniperus Communis
Batch Analysis:
- Lot: P429269 Best Before: 31-Aug-2027
- Lot: M-0020107 Best Before: 19-DEC-2027
- Lot: M0020029 Best Before 13-MAR-2028
Country of Origin:
- North Macedonia