US law

The basic rule: at least 40 percent

US law, as set out in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Part 5, requires a minimum alcohol content of 40 percent ABV for gin, or 80 proof in American terms. This is noticeably higher than the European minimum strength of 37.5 percent. There's no flexibility below this threshold, not even for small, independent distilleries.

Oversight falls to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, known as the TTB, an agency of the US Treasury Department. It checks alcohol content. It also approves every label individually before a bottle can appear on American shelves, and it checks advertising claims for accuracy as well.

Distilled Gin: the American version of distilled gin

By definition, Distilled Gin is produced either through original distillation of a mash together with juniper berries and other aromatic botanicals, or through redistillation of already-distilled neutral spirits over the same botanicals. The key point is that the juniper flavor must clearly define the character of the finished product, not fade into the background behind other flavors.

This definition resembles the European category of Distilled Gin, but it isn't identical. US law has no separate tier that exactly matches the term London Gin. American producers working by this strict method can still use the term London Dry Gin as a style designation, as long as they don't mislead anyone about origin and the term can't be mistaken for a geographical indication.

Redistilled Gin and compound gin

Redistilled Gin refers to gin produced by redistilling finished neutral spirits over juniper and other botanicals, rather than being distilled directly from a mash. This method is explicitly recognized as a distinct process in the US. It doesn't need to be stated separately on the label, as long as the category Gin or Distilled Gin remains accurate and production follows the requirements.

At the other end of the scale is compound gin, colloquially also called bathtub gin. Here, neutral spirits are simply mixed with juniper flavorings or extracts, without any redistillation at all. This is legal. However, it often needs to be identifiable as such, since the method produces a noticeably simpler flavor than true distillation and is usually cheaper to produce as well.

What buyers should watch for when comparing bottles

Anyone comparing European and American bottles side by side on the shelf should keep two things in mind. The US minimum strength is higher. And terms like London Dry Gin are a style designation in America, without the strict ban on post-distillation additives that the EU regulation requires for true London Gin, the very thing that makes the category so clearly defined in Europe.

This doesn't mean American London Dry Gins are inferior. It just means the term is less regulated there than in Europe. Anyone who wants to know exactly how a particular gin was actually made will often find more reliable information in the producer's profile than in the name on the label alone, especially with smaller American distilleries that have their own website.

Before a bottle of gin can be sold in the US, it needs a Certificate of Label Approval, or COLA. The TTB reviews every single label for wording, alcohol content, and category. A label that falsely claims London Dry Gin, for example, despite no distillation ever having taken place, will be rejected during this review. The terms Distilled Gin and Redistilled Gin must also match the actual production method, or the agency will refuse approval. This upfront review doesn't replace ongoing market oversight, but it does at least prevent blatant false claims before a bottle ever reaches the shelf.