Style & Law

Every gin in the EU today must be at least 37.5 percent alcohol. This is set out in the Spirit Drinks Regulation (EU) 2019/787. For "London Gin", stricter rules apply: distilled, with nothing added afterward except water, alcohol of the same quality, and no more than 0.1 grams of sugar per litre. Plymouth Gin follows these basic rules just like any London Dry.

What sets Plymouth apart from the London style is no longer a legal requirement. It's more a matter of family recipe and heritage: seven fixed botanicals, less juniper dominance, and more root and citrus peel instead. All of it is still distilled solely at Black Friars Distillery on Southside Street.

Until 2015, the name was even backed by a protected geographical indication from the EU. It was comparable to a designation of origin, as used for cheese or wine: only gin from this one distillery was allowed to be called "Plymouth Gin". The then-owner, however, did not renew the protection. The reason: the EU required the exact recipe to be disclosed.

Since February 2015, "Plymouth Gin" is therefore no longer a protected geographical indication. The name is now only a registered trademark. Legally, a gin in the Plymouth style could today be produced elsewhere. However, the name "Plymouth Gin" itself may still only be used by the distillery on Southside Street.

For Genever, incidentally, a true geographical indication still applies, along with a minimum of 30 percent alcohol. This shows how differently the EU still treats individual juniper spirits, depending on who upholds the protection and who, like Plymouth, lets it go.