gin no. 012 – Ivy City Gin

• Ivy City Gin is from Washington, DC
• It was one of the first gins in The Collection
• Contains the unique botanical Appalachian Allspice
• District Made Spirits by One Eight Distilling announced it closure in February 2024

I recently got an email announcing that the company who made Ivy City Gin was going out of business. It’s sad how many gins in the collection are no longer made. This one is particularly sad to me because Kelly and I bought this bottle on a tip to DC, along with a bottle of District Vodka. I wasn’t really collecting gin when I bought it, I just thought it would be fun to buy a bottle while on a trip. I still remember buying it in a really sketchy liquor store where everything was behind the glass.

Ivy City is a good gin. It is contemporary in style with a base spirit made from rye, malted rye, and corn. The ratios have changed slightly over the years, but rye remains the dominant grain. They also increased the alcohol content from 40 to 44 ABV. The bottle also changed since I got mine, for the worse in my opinion.

One of the most interesting things about this gin is the inclusion of Appalachian Allspice in the botanical profile. Rarely found in gin, Appalachian Allspice (Lindera benzoin) is also called Spicebush. It was used as an allspice substitute during the Civil War.

Here is how the distillery describes Ivy City Gin today: District Made Ivy City Gin is an American dry-style spirit crafted with our signature rye-forward mashbill. Appalachian Allspice and Grains of Paradise uniquely enhance our Mid-Atlantic heirloom grains, while a more subtle approach to juniper notes allows all ten vibrant botanicals to shine. The outcome is a uniquely flavorful, full-bodied spirit proudly poured.

For right now, you can still get a bottle for $42 online. You can also get a bottle of barrel aged gin for $47. I won’t be buying one. I still have some left in my original bottle along with some good memories.

Explore the rest of the collection