TRU Organic Spirits Launches Artisanal Gin
Los Angeles-based TRU Organic Spirits has launched a new small batch, artisanal gin using 14 whole botanicals. The botanicals in TRU2 Gin (right) are macerated in layers forming an organic wheat base spirit. The gin is not re-distilled after the maceration process in order to preserve its rich, balanced flavor profile, a technique that "harks back to the earliest curative gins made by 16th century physicians throughout Europe," the company notes.
We're used to gins these days being crystal clear, but the macerated ingredients including juniper berries, fresh lavender and chamomile impart a distinctive amber hue to this flavorful spirit.
TRU, which is known for its artisanal vodkas (our favorite is the lemon infused version), uses state-of-the art column stills that produce the purest spirits possible in only one pass in order to conserve energy. The company also plants a tree for every bottle sold.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kevin Erskine Jan 8th 2009 8:03PM
Hmm, sounds like an infused Vodka more than a "TRU" gin....
natalie Nov 13th 2008 5:44PM
Actually - aren't ALL gins technically "flavored vodkas"? -- just with more flavors and a heavy dose of juniper....
Ben Nov 14th 2008 3:25PM
Yes, but it doesn't even sound like they are in fact making gin. To make gin, you take a neutral grain spirit (which must be produced by a 3rd party) add your recipe of botanicals (of which juniper must be predominant) and 'fire up the pot' to distill them. It sounds like this company is distilling botanicals in order to make a flavored grain alcohol. They said themsleves, they "do not distill again post maceration". I.e. - flavored vodka.
I agree with Kevin. This is NOT gin.
Melkon Khosrovian Nov 15th 2008 8:35AM
Wow – lively discussion! As the maker of TRU2 gin, let me add a few cents worth on why we made our first gin this way. We wanted to create a big, balanced gin that you could drink -- even straight -- without wincing...or flashbacks to the first time you got drunk in high school.
The only production technique that allowed us to pull this off harked back to how this stuff was made in the 1500s by doctors all over Europe. It's direct-contact maceration without re-distillation. This is how we're able to retain the fresh taste and delicate balance of our broad range of botanicals.
Ours is admittedly a rare approach to gin. (The other approaches, which sometimes are specified on labels, are "London Dry," “Genever,” "Plymouth," "Old Tom," and "Sloe.") Our way of making gin had two noteworthy periods -- during the 1500s, when whole ingredients were macerated into base spirits, and during Prohibition, when base spirits were blended together with cheap juniper oil (it was Sears & Roebuck's # 1 seller in certain markets).
We chose the whole-ingredient approach to capture a level of depth, delicacy and balance that we found impossible to create using any other technique. For an analogy, imagine taking bourbon -- which has macerated in wood for years and captured its delicate, spicy characteristics -- and re-distilling it to concentrate its woody notes. It might have its purposes and fans, but for us the old, old-fashioned way produced an even better experience and brought something unique to the marketplace. Essentially, we do what bourbon makers do -- which is macerate base spirits with complex, whole ingredients (wood for them and juniper, coriander, etc. for us), put the final product through a polishing filter to get rid of ingredient debris, and bottle it.
Our unorthodox methods result in a full-flavor gin that lets you taste the complex botanicals in a more mellow, less sharply concentrated state. The amber color of our gin is the true color of the 14 whole ingredients that went into making it.
The proof, though, is in the glass. I’d suggest grabbing a bottle and trying it next to your favorite gins. In the mean time, here are a couple of opinions from those who’ve tried:
http://dowdtastingnotes.blogspot.com/2008/10/tru2-gin.html
http://cocktails.about.com/od/ginreviews/gr/tru2_ginreview.htm