Launched in 2005, No. 209 Gin is one of the dozen or so gins that have emerged in recent years from the re-invigorated craft distilling culture in the USA.
With its citrusy spice flavour profile, No 209 Gin is what we’ve come to call a “contemporary classic” here at The Gin Blog. No doubt, the flavour profile leans more towards American pallets, with its slightly subdued juniper and more prominent citrus notes however, the core gin backbone is still there. It hasn’t shied away from the category’s heritage and the team has managed to create a modern, contemporary gin, which would appeal to many.
The No. 209 story begins in 1880, when William Scheffler bought the Edge Hill Estate in St. Helena, at the time one of the most impressive wineries in the Napa Valley. A distiller at heart, Scheffler added a stone and brick distillery to the wine making facilities at Edge Hill in 1882 and registered the distillery with the Federal Government. The license number, 209, was granted which Scheffler proudly painted above the front door of his new distillery building. The spirits he produced were reputedly of very high quality and won numerous awards, including a medal at the Universal Exposition of 1889 in Paris, France.
Skipping some 100 years of history, most notably when all production ceased during Prohibition – new life was injected into the distillery in 1999, when Leslie Rudd became the new steward of the Edge Hill property. The Rudd family’s background is in wine and fine food – they own both Rudd Oakville Estate Winery and Dean & DeLuca and had purchased the estate for the vineyards. The story has it that Lesley Rudd had begun the restoration of the building on his estate, and one day while he was surveying the poorly maintained property, noticed the faintly visible words “Registered Distillery No. 209” painted above the iron doors.
From then on, unearthing the rest of the story became a passion for the family and the point of inspiration behind the historical restoration of the Edge Hill site. The restoration of the original Distillery No. 209 site received preservationist awards from both Napa County and the State of California. However, the size and location of the original distillery building were not conducive to the team’s plans to potentially revive some of the production that went on there – moreover, the constrains over what types of spirit can be produced in Napa Valley were also limiting as agricultural regulators would not allow distilling of anything other than a grape based spirit.
Intent on creating a distillery, the team decided to convert a 1920’s warehouse on Pier 50 in San Francisco. As it stands, the 209 distillery based off the end of a pier is currently the only distillery in the world that is located completely over seawater. By no means simply a novelty, there are very good reasons for this – the natural cooling properties of 13 feet of San Francisco Bay water beneath the pier keeps the air temperature in the distillery perfect for distilling year-round and the high ceilings could accommodate the 25 foot high still.
Once Lesley Rudd had decided to create a distillery, the goal was both clear and simple: to make the finest possible gin with care and intelligence for people who think about what they drink.
No. 209 Gin is distilled in a copper alembic pot still in a one shot process that takes nearly 11h to complete (not including the overnight maceration that happens before). At nearly 25 feet tall, and able of holding 1000 gallons, the still was created based on the shape of the Glenmorangie whisky stills (relatively distinct for their long swan’s neck) and were made by renowned still makers Forsythe’s. Interestingly, No. 209 Gin’s base spirit is a four-times column-distilled spirit made from Midwestern corn and has a smooth, almost sweet finish. This is rather different to the neutral grain spirit many gins are made with and creates a unique canvass on which the botanicals take on slightly different characters than they usually do with the usual grain base.
There are between 8 to 11 botanicals used in the making of No. 209 Gin (the exact number and list is undisclosed) and include juniper berries, cassia bark, cardamom pods, bergamot orange peel, lemon peel, coriander seeds, angelica root. From the taste of the gin and the flavour journey we experienced, we would suggest that others could include orris root, liquorice and perhaps cinnamon – although this is pure speculation and we can’t tell for sure. Although all the botanicals are placed in the pot still together when it’s time to create the gin itself; before hand samples of each batch of the individual botanicals are individually tested by the master distiller Arne Hillesland in mini pot stills to judge their intensity. Although there will only be small variations between them, slightly altering the quantities of botanicals added to the final process allows him to have a greater control and consistency in the end product.
As with the majority gins, only the heart of the distillation is used to create the final spirit, with the heads (beginning) and tails (end) of the distillation discarded – in the case for No. 209 Gin, Arne Hillesland selects a relatively small window for the hearts which only compromises of around 50% of the overall distilled spirit generated. This chosen spirit is combined with water from snowmelt from the Sierra-Nevada Mountains and is bottled at 46% ABV.
On the nose, spicy citrus notes come to the fore with a mellow juniper and slightly floral backdrop. Overall, the flavour of No. 209 is citrus forward, but not overbearing – although the bergamot orange clearly plays a large part in the ensemble. The warmth from coriander and cassia anchor the gin, while the cardamom imparts its very distinct taste. The juniper notes are much more subtle compared with the sometimes resinous feel of some classic London Dry’s. Overall, No. 209 Gin feels like a modern interpretation of a classic gin done with an American twist. As a suggestion, Brand Ambassador Martin So suggests using a slice of pink grapefruit (not squeezed) as the choice of garnish when serving a G&T, and having experimented with a few garnishes when using No. 209 Gin, we tend to agree. Lime and lemon push the citrus elements too far while orange just increases the already prevailing bergamot orange flavours in the gin. The pink grapefruit works as it compliments the notes without over exaggerating the existing ones, whilst also offering something new.
The bottle shape takes its cues from the more familiar shapes of 1900’s bottles, with its broad shoulders tapering down to a skinny base. Ironically (given that with so many gins in existence, there are few that use numbers as their names), the bottle is very similar in shape to Berry Bros & Rudd’s No. 3 Gin (who incidentally share the Rudd family name but were not connected in the creation of No. 209). Allegedly, the inspiration for the shape came from a prohibition era bottle of bootlegged Canadian Genever discovered during the restoration process amongst the rooms of the disused Edge Hill distillery site (on the right above).
There are 4 members in the No. 209 Gin team and as such, this means that its profile has only been growing slowly since its launch 7 years ago. This is not to say that the gin hasn’t been noticed however, many have been heard singing its praises and with a bit more of a push over the next 18 months in the UK, expect to hear a few more. The important part has been achieved – they have created a great gin, slowly built credibility, continued quality control and are now taking the next step in looking to reach a wider audience. It’s a foundation that many new gins should look at as a model of how to establish a long-term brand. No. 209 Gin’s price point (over £30) however, does make it slightly inaccessible and combined with relatively limited on trade availability, opportunities to try are not the easiest to come by. Despite this, we would say that like its San Franciscan cousin Junipero – it’s worth seeking out.
Talking to the team, they seemed to be focused on building a sustainable growth, based on those drinking it having a real understanding of their product. In a fierce marketing environment this means two things; firstly, that it will not see a meteoric overnight rise any time soon, and secondly, that they deserve respect from trying to do the gin justice. It will grow in time, and we look forward to seeing it on its journey. A quick glance at the Rudd estate and what has been achieved with their wines gives a good indication of what’s to come for the gin. Also, anyone who’s enjoyed any of the Rudd Estate wines will be able to confirm that, while they may be slightly more expensive and not as easy to come by (in the UK) – boy – it’s worth the hunt.
To find out more about No. 209 Gin, visit their website:
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