In one respect, Chris Weld and Colin Coan of Berkshire Mountain Distillery aren't engaging in anything groundbreaking.
Like an increasing number of boutique distillers, they use local crops and fresh water sources to anchor their small- batch spirits (rum, bourbon and gins) to the Massachusetts landscape.
But in another respect, they're trailblazers: They produce limited-edition gins that change with each batch, so each bottling is akin to a vintage wine.
BMD's flagship Greylock Gin--made in the juniper-forward London Dry style--errs on the side of tradition, but uses a slow distillation method that, Weld says, "is kinder on the botanicals." Its prominent notes of coriander and licorice root shine through for a flavor that bartenders love to profile: At Eastern Standard Kitchen in Boston, Greylock is the centerpiece of the vegetal "Berkshire Bitter" (click here to download recipe).
But BMD's Ethereal Gin is a wild card: It's distilled three times, using 14 different fresh botanicals in each pass through the still.
The proportions of the blend change from batch to batch, which is indicated by the color of the label. The initial batch (blue label) was dominated by pepper and brown spice, while Ethereal 2.0 (pink label) highlighted angelica and rose. Up next: grapefruit.
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