What is Gin made from?

What is Gin Made From? Is Gin Made From Vodka?

This is hands down one of the most common questions we get — both online and in person at markets, tours, and tastings:
“Is gin made from vodka?”

And the honest answer is: yes — but not quite the way you might think.

Technically speaking, gin is made using a neutral spirit, which is very similar to vodka. But that’s only the beginning of the story. Comparing gin to vodka without considering the craftsmanship involved is a bit like saying a Rolex is just “made from steel.” It may start with a base material, but what follows is where the skill, creativity and quality come into play.

Let’s break it down.

The Foundation: Neutral Spirit

To legally be called “gin”, a spirit must be made from alcohol of agricultural origin — this means it could start life as grain, potatoes, sugar beet, or another crop. That alcohol must then be flavoured with juniper berries (Juniperus communis) and have a minimum strength of 37.5% ABV. Most gins are based on what's called Grain Neutral Spirit (GNS) — a highly purified, flavourless alcohol often used as the foundation for both vodka and gin.

At Tayport, we choose to use high-quality GNS as the starting point for our gins. Why not use our own vodka? We get asked this too. The reason is simple: our Malt Barley Vodka is a premium spirit in its own right, made from Scottish malted barley and distilled for flavour, texture and purity. It has subtle notes of caramel, vanilla and toasted grain — and was awarded a Gold Outstanding Medal at the IWSC and ranked one of Forbes' Top 10 Vodkas in the World. It's not neutral — it’s too good, too complex, and too characterful to use as a blank canvas for gin.

Gin requires neutrality in the base so that the carefully selected botanicals can take centre stage. A richly flavoured vodka would compete with the botanicals, not support them.

So… Is Vodka the Same as GNS?

Not quite. While GNS and vodka share a similar process up to a point — both are distilled to high purity — vodka is often further refined, filtered and adjusted for texture and mouthfeel. Vodka, especially at the premium level, is a finished product with its own flavour profile, clarity, and character.

GNS, on the other hand, is typically unfiltered, and designed to be neutral and clean — an ideal blank slate for the complex flavours of gin.

Where the Real Craft Begins: Distillation & Botanical Balance

This is where gin-making becomes an art form.

Once you have your base spirit, what sets a great gin apart is the way it’s flavoured, distilled, and balanced. All gin must be juniper-led — that’s the law — but every distiller chooses a unique combination of botanicals to shape the final flavour. These may include citrus peel, coriander seed, angelica root, cardamom, cinnamon, herbs, florals, pine and countless other ingredients.

At Tayport, we handcraft our gins in small batches using real botanicals and traditional methods. Each botanical is chosen for a purpose — not just flavour, but also how it behaves during distillation, how it interacts with others, and how it evolves in the final glass.

Take our Scots Pine Gin, for example. Inspired by the piney freshness of Tentsmuir Forest, it balances sharp juniper and resinous pine with soft citrus and warming spice. It’s a gin designed to evoke a sense of place — and it’s been recognised with a 3-Star Great Taste Award.

Our Wild Rose Gin, meanwhile, celebrates the floral elegance of classic gin profiles with a gently perfumed, soft finish — perfect for the traditional G&T drinker.

Creating these gins isn’t just about mixing flavours — it’s about knowing how each botanical will perform in the still, how the vapour will carry those essential oils, and how to capture the layers of aroma, taste, and texture that make a gin truly exceptional.

Distilling vs. Compounding

Another important distinction: not all gins are distilled. Some producers make what's known as compound gin, where flavourings are simply added to alcohol after the fact. These are often less complex and don't benefit from the careful extraction of oils that traditional distillation provides.

At Tayport, we take pride in distilling our gin properly — using real ingredients and traditional methods. It’s slower, it’s more labour-intensive, but it delivers a far more balanced, elegant, and expressive gin.

In Summary

Yes — gin starts with a neutral spirit. But no — gin is not “just flavoured vodka.”

The base may be similar, but the process, purpose and craftsmanship are entirely different. From the moment we choose our botanicals to the way we distil each batch, gin-making is a creative, precise, and highly skilled process. The result is something layered, characterful and worthy of its own spotlight.

So the next time you pour a G&T or shake up a martini, you’ll know there’s more behind it than just “vodka with herbs.” There’s intention. There’s flavour. There’s craft.

And that’s what makes gin, gin.

Would you like to learn more about the different styles of gin? Or how we build our botanical blends? Stay tuned — or better yet, visit us at the distillery for a tasting and see it all in action.