In July I had the opportunity to tour Durham Distillery, which has been operating since 2013 in Durham, NC. The distillery produces two gins as their main products, as well as Damn Fine Liqueurs, which were still in the somewhat early stages of production. I’ve had the opportunity to tour a few distilleries and taste a few craft gins and I was very impressed by the distilleries flagship offering: Conniption Navy Strength Gin.
Durham Distillery is not a grain-to-glass distillery, but uses vapor infusion of a base spirit in their gin production process, similar to Bombay Sapphire. They are running a Brennereianlagen Müller GmbH still as pictured below.
Custom Still from Müller Brennereianlagen, GmbH
The two gins that they produce have tastes on opposite ends of the spectrum. Navy Strength is more traditional and deliciously juniper-centric, while the American Dry has more floral botanical notes. The American Dry is passable as a local gin. It has the redeeming factor of being produced locally that allows me to overlook the fact that it’s rather unextraordinary. The Navy Strength, on the other hand, comes off strong with a 57% alc/vol (114 proof), and a blast of juniper to the nostrils. Taste-wise this is one of the best craft gins that I’ve had the fortune of tasting. The flavor profile expands past juniper and is remarkably complex and delicious. After picking up a bottle of each at the distillery I brought them back home to begin experimentation in earnest.
Conniption Gins: American Dry and Navy Strength
While the American Dry performed about as well as expected, the Navy Strength stood out as a great mixer, since it is already high proof. For anything other than a standard gin and tonic, the Navy Strength was a go-to. Using other NC gins in comparison, the Conniption Navy Strength stands out in a pretty crowded arena of craft spirits. It’s no surprise that Conniption has won multiple awards in the last year including Best in Show Gin at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition.