Herno The Most Awarded Gin In The World

Innovation is the name of the game these days when it comes to spirits; with so much competition brands have to have unique selling points and above standard quality just to stand a chance of being picked out from the burgeoning crowd. This is especially true of gins where it seems every Old Tom and their mothers are producing the stuff by the still full. The good news for you and head distiller/owner Jon Hillgren is that Herno organic gin delivers the goods on so many different levels it's mind boggling. Herno is a Swedish gin that proudly bears the tagline ""Swedish Excellence"", something that certainly suggests that the distillery is very confident in their product. Luckily for them their confidence was not misplaced and Herno has been heaped with so many accolades that it has become the most awarded spirit from 2012 through to the present day. This is even more impressive considering that the distillery wasn't even founded until 2011! Checkout the rather large picture below for a list of their awards. As you can see that's a pretty impressive collection of medals across their range of gins and proves that their gin is certainly of an extremely high quality. So what makes these guys unique then? To start with, Herno is the most northernmost gin distillery in the world and also the only distillery in Sweden that's dedicated solely to making gin. The distillery is a modest affair built in the traditional Swedish style and made from wood that has been painted red and white and located in the village of Dala just outside the City of Härnösand in Ångermanland. The most important part of the distillery is the two hand beaten copper stills named Kerstin and Marit as, without these Jon couldn't work his magic! Jon's love of gin started back in 1999 when he went to London with friends to work in bars and clubs and discovered the spirit; this later developed into an interest in crafting gin which lead to Jon undertaking a degree and visiting many different distilleries around the world in order to learn how best to make the stuff. This culminated in him opening Herno distillery in 2011 and he has had nothing but success ever since. This is not the only unique thing about Herno distillery; they are the only distillery in the world to mature gin in casks. This practice of barrel aging gin is becoming more common but here these guys age their gin in barrels made from juniper wood and are the only ones to do so. I wasn't even aware that there was even such a thing as juniper wood as the only ones I have ever seen grow on flimsy little branches that would snap in a gentle breeze! There's a reason that Herno is the first distillery to do this and that is due to the general unsuitability of juniper wood to be used as lumber; there are numerous issues with the grain and the way it knots and it's only thanks to the advance of technology that these effects can be partially overcome and the wood made usable although this is quite cost prohibitive indeed. Herno have taken the financial hit in order to create something that is truly unique and have manufactured 39.25 litre casks made from this troublesome wood. Before we go on to look at the different gins in the Herno range, it's worth pointing out that the same botanicals are used in every single variety and it's down to Jon's skill as a distiller that the individual styles and flavours are created. He uses eight carefully selected botanicals from around the world and they are all certified as organic. Juniper berries from Hungary, Coriander seeds from Bulgaria, Lemon that we peel by hand, Lingon berries from Sweden, Meadowsweet from the United Kingdom, Black Pepper from India, Cassia from Indonesia and fresh Vanilla from Madagascar.  

Herno Juniper Cask Gin

This is the star gin, the only gin in the world to have been aged in juniper wood barrels. Herno Juniper Cask Gin is intense, inviting and engaging. It has an herbal sweetness to start with followed by more intense juniper notes finishing with a long harmonious hint of citrus peel.  

Herno Gin

 Hernö Gin is a round and smooth London dry gin, with a juniper character, fresh citrus notes and a floral complexity which makes the gin very enjoyable on its own. All our gins a one-shot-gins, only diluted with water, from own well, and not chill filtered.
 

Herno Navy Strength Gin

Our Navy Strength Gin is made from the same distilled gin as Hernö Gin. The only difference is water. We dilute our Navy Strength to 57% (of course) while Hernö Gin is diluted to 40,5%. The difference regarding the sense of taste is however very clear. Hernö Navy Strength Gin gets more character from the botanicals at a higher abv.  

Herno Old Tom Gin

Our Old Tom Gin is made from the same distilled gin as Hernö Swedish Excellence Gin and Hernö Navy Strength Gin. It is bottled at 43% abv. The Old Tom has an extra amount of Meadowsweet in the distillation and after diluting we add a touch of honey and sugar.