I had the pleasure of meeting Holly Robinson, one half of the husband and wife team who created Big Gin (Captive Spirits Distilling) recently, and was thrilled to learn of this American-made London dry gin.
Holly and her husband, Ben Capdevielle, have a long history in the restaurant and bar industry, and Ben comes from a family of distillers. In fact, the name Big Gin is a nod to Ben’s father, nicknamed “Big Jim.” Ben and Holly have a love of gin, and despite the burgeoning craft gin industry in the US, saw a unmet need in the market for an American-made London dry-style gin, and promptly started to experiment. Captive Spirits Distillery officially opened in 2010 on a $50K budget , and the first bottle of gin was sold in 2011. Now, Big Gin is in 25 states and seven countries.
The Super-Cool Thing
Here’s my very favorite thing about their mission: Holly and Ben opened Captive Spirits to make gin and only gin. There’s a ton of vodka makers who have recently decided they can also make gin, as both spirits are born of the same neutral grain base. Some are good, and others are merely passable. Captive Spirits was founded to create gin, and they continue to focus on making the best gin possible.
Tasting Notes
Big Gin has many of the botanicals you’d expect from a London Dry, like a healthy dose of juniper, coriander, orange, angelica, cassia, and cardamom; but it also has Tasmanian pepperberry giving it just a bit of spicy, surprising kick. At 47% ABV it stands up nicely over ice or in a cocktail.
And at approximately $24 retail per bottle, it’s a great, affordable bottle to add to your collection.
Getting Spicier…
How about an aged version? Big Gin is nestled in bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distilleries for six months and the result is truly delicious. Bourbon Barreled Big Gin retails for around $33/bottle. I’ve tried 6-8 bourbon-aged gins and have been “meh” on some and disappointed on others; but this one shines. The juniper is in no way lost – and is complemented by the sweet warmth gained from the barrel. This gin should please whisky and gin drinkers, and would be delicious in an Old Fashioned or Negroni.
Now for Something Really Different
For you scotch lovers, how about a peat-aged gin? Big Gin rests for four months in Westland Distillery‘s Peated American Scotch barrels (which before the scotch, held Wild Turkey!). I have to admit that when peat is mentioned, I think nicotine and band-aids, which is what peat smells like to me, so I was skeptical. But I had to act excited about it as I was trying the Peat Barreled Big Gin in front of Holly (I’m a southerner, y’all, so it’s decorum). The result? To me, there’s still a hint of band-aid (and with it memories of skinned knees from childhood), but I’m intrigued. Believe it or not, the juniper stands up to the peat. The sweetness that you get in the bourbon-aged is definitely cut, but the orange still comes through. This is a complex gin that can easily be sipped neat or mixed in a cocktail – I’m really looking forward to experimenting with it. And to making my scotch-loving friends try it!
Cheers, y’all! Happy drinking.
