• Is Magellan Gin blue or is the bottle blue?

Magellan Gin is indeed a blue color. We bottle Magellan in a clear glass so you can admire the spirit inspired by Magellan’s travels between the blue sky and deep blue sea.

• What is fresh distillation?

Every botanical used for Magellan is hand picked at its peak of ripeness, then immediately sun dried to preserve the freshness. Following triple distillation of the neutral spirit, the master distiller wraps the fresh botanicals in a special cloth, opens the head of a small artisinal copper pot still, adds the fresh botanicals and redistills the gin a fourth time in small batches. This fresh distillation process truly captures the intricate and complex flavors of the botanicals and creates a refreshingly smooth and balanced gin.

• What does it mean to select the “heart” of the Gin?

During the fourth distillation with the fresh botanicals, the master distiller, guided by generations of expertise, captures only the “heart” of Magellan gin for bottling. The “heart of the gin” is the moment when the proof and taste are just right. In distillery speak, the master distiller will cut off the “heads” and “tails” so the consumer will benefit by only enjoying the heart of Magellan Gin, the moment when the gin is perfect for consumption.

• Why was the name Magellan chosen?

In 1519, five ships led by Ferdinand de Magellan set out to circumnavigate the world and explore the “spice islands.” Three years later, only the ship Victoria returned to Spain, with 18 people and several barrels of cloves. Sadly, Magellan, who died in battle during the voyage, never saw the results of his spice discoveries. Those spices inspired the creation of Gin as we now know it, and it is to cloves in particular, that Magellan Gin owes its unrivaled taste. Cloves are a unique botanical to Magellan Gin.

• Where is Magellan Gin produced?

Magellan Gin is handcrafted in small batches using the finest natural exotic botanicals from around the Globe at the Angeac Distillery in France.

• What is the proof / alcohol content?

Magellan Gin is a little lighter at 88 proof. This is the perfect proof to balance the alcohol and complex flavors.

• How should I drink Magellan Gin?

Magellan Gin is a smooth, refreshing gin that can be enjoyed simply on the rocks or in any of the classic gin drinks like the gin martini, gin & tonic, gin gimlet or the dirty martini. Be creative with garnish, from citrus peels to olives to stuffed olives to maraschino cherries. Visit our recipe section for a demonstration of three classic gin recipes. However, we do welcome creativity. Please e-mail us any creative cocktails you like to make with Magellan and if it passes out taste tests, we ’ll post it on the web in our recipe section.

• What is a grain neutral spirit?

A grain neutral spirit is a tasteless and odorless spirit distilled following the fermentation of grain and water. In Magellan Gin, The Master Distiller begins with the fermentation of Capet, a rich wheat grain from the Beauce valley, and crisp spring water drawn from the Gensac Spring in the Cognac region. The water is naturally filtered through grande champagne limestone and then naturally demineralized for the appropriate soft, crisp and smooth taste. The wheat and water mash is then triple distilled by hand, sequentially, yielding a smooth, clean neutral spirit prepared for only the finest botanicals and meticulous production methods ahead.

• What is triple distillation?

Triple distillation refers to the amount of columns the still has to filter out the impurities. In Magellan’s case, there are three columns the neutral spirit passes through, each filtering out the congeners or impurities in the liquid. Because Magellan has so many complex flavors and advanced distillation methods ahead, it is imperative to begin the process by creating a high quality, clean, smooth neutral spirit.

• How many times is Magellan Distilled?

Magellan is distilled a total of four times. First a clean neutral spirit is triple distilled. Then, the master distiller redistills the gin a fourth time in small batches with the fresh botanicals. This process is long and expensive, but the consumer benefits by getting a refreshingly clean and balanced gin unmatched in the world.