FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 13 OF 80
JUNIPER GROVE GIN , Minden, Nevada, USA
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
Today's stop on the Atlas takes me to Bently Heritage Estate Distillery in Minden, Nevada, just a short drive from the shores of Lake Tahoe. This remarkable distillery has become one of the finest examples of what it truly means to be an estate distillery.
Here in the UK we're familiar with phrases such as grain to glass or farm to bottle, but Nevada takes things a step further. To call yourself an estate distillery, at least 85% of the agricultural raw materials used to make the spirits must be grown on land owned or controlled by the distillery. It means complete oversight of every stage of production, from planting the grain to bottling the finished spirit, resulting in a true expression of the estate and its terroir.
The story begins with husband-and-wife team Christopher and Camille Bently, whose shared love of premium spirits and several memorable trips to Scotland inspired them to create an American single malt whisky. Their vision centred on restoring a collection of neglected historic buildings on the family ranch, transforming them into a working distillery while preserving as much of their heritage as possible. Years of painstaking restoration uncovered all sorts of hidden treasures, many of which have been carefully preserved and are now displayed around the site.
Today's gin, Juniper Grove American Dry Gin, was launched in 2019 and is distilled in the beautifully restored Creamery Building, which itself took five years to bring back to life. As the name suggests, juniper leads the way, supported by just four other carefully chosen botanicals to create a bright, balanced and classically styled American Dry Gin. The estate-grown grain spirit provides a wonderfully smooth base that lets the botanicals shine.
The Juniper Grove range has since expanded to include Alpine Gin, inspired by the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains and featuring locally foraged piñon pine, and Atrium Gin, a more floral interpretation of the estate's botanical philosophy.
This is exactly the sort of distillery I love discovering on my travels. Beautifully restored historic buildings, genuine sustainability, complete control from field to flask and a philosophy that lets the landscape speak through every bottle. Another memorable stop on the Atlas—and proof that some of the best spirits begin not in the stillhouse, but in the soil itself.
“Where every bottle begins long before the still.”
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."