Vacuum-Distilled Gin
The technique was borrowed from chemistry laboratory practice, where rotary evaporators and vacuum distillation have been standard since the mid-20th century. Applied to spirits production by craft distillers in the 2000s and 2010s, particularly in London, as the craft gin renaissance encouraged technical experimentation. Dave Arnold popularized the rotary evaporator version in cocktail bar contexts.
Flavor Profile
Intensely aromatic with exceptional freshness — botanical compounds that survive conventional distillation only partially are fully preserved. Particularly excels with cherry blossom, fresh herbs, delicate flowers. Distinctly 'raw' or 'fresh' botanical character compared to heat-processed gins. Trade-off: lacks the 'cooked' integration that heat distillation creates.
Key Producers
Distills at -5°C under extreme vacuum; most extreme expression of the method
London-based early adopter of vacuum distillation at laboratory scale