Review

Doornkaat Gin

Berentzen-Gruppe AG, Haselünne, Emsland, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Berentzen Group.

Johann Bernhard Berentzen established the company in 1758. Over the last 250 years they have grown to become a leading player in the German drinks industry. This has included the merger of Richarz Wine Distillery (established 1861) and Pabst Wine and Distillery (established 1898) with Berentzen in 1969. In 1992 the Group acquired Doornkaat AG, a family business since 1806, and their well-known brand of spirits.

Doornkaat Gin has been sold for many decades and is perhaps the best-known and recognizable brand of Gin in Germany.

Made from wheat and rye grain, it is triple distilled. The product is packaged in an emerald green colored glass, rectangular bottle.

Distilled Dry Gin. It often referred to as Schnapps, as this is how it is described on the bottle labels for some markets – think of it as a cousin to Steinhaeger and Aquavit.

38% (76 Proof).

$$ - $$$. A little hard to find in the USA but not impossible: try Yorkshire Wines & Spirits or Holiday Wine Cellar.

Unknown.

Named after the original founding family of Doornkaat AG from 1806, which was taken over by the Berentzen Group in 1992.

On the nose are faint citrus and herbal notes. On the palate this smooth Gin shows juniper and citrus flavors, with aromatic herbal notes. It doesn’t display any real spicy characteristics but in all other regards it follows the lines of a classic Gin taste.

This is good as a sipping Gin, either neat or over ice. Germans tend to use this as a beer chaser and many keep the bottle in a freezer. It is good in any mixed Gin based drink – think of this as the Beefeater standard of the German Gin market.

Unknown.