Gin · Explainer
What is new western dry gin?
New western dry gin is a style name for gin in which the supporting botanicals, such as citrus, flowers or herbs, get almost as much room as the juniper berry. The term is attributed to the American bartender and consultant Ryan Magarian. Legally the style does not exist: Regulation (EU) 2019/787 requires for every gin that the juniper flavour predominates, and that it contains at least 37.5% alcohol.
In brief
The key figures
| What it is | Style name from the bar world, not a legal category |
|---|---|
| Origin of the term | Attributed to the American bartender Ryan Magarian |
| Core of the style | Supporting botanicals share the attention with the juniper berry |
| Legal requirement | With gin and distilled gin, the juniper berry flavour must predominate |
| Minimum alcohol | 37.5% vol under Regulation (EU) 2019/787 |
| Difference from London dry | London gin is a legal category, new western dry gin is not |
| Colouring and sweetening | Limited for London gin, wider for gin and distilled gin |
| Age limit | NIX18: geen alcohol onder de 18 jaar, Alcoholwet artikel 20 |
Where does the term new western dry gin come from?
The term is attributed to the American bartender and consultant Ryan Magarian, who described gin in which juniper shares the center with the other botanicals.
Difford’s Guide quotes him on gins that move away from the usual excessive emphasis on juniper, towards the supporting botanicals, so that they can almost share the centre. It is therefore a description of a flavour direction that bartenders and producers have started to use, not a term from a legal text.
Is new western dry gin a legal category?
No, Regulation (EU) 2019/787 recognises juniper-flavoured spirit drinks, gin, distilled gin and London gin, and new western dry gin is not among them.
A bottle with that style name on the label is therefore sold as gin or as distilled gin, with the associated requirements. The style name adds information for the buyer, but it is not controlled or delineated the way the legal categories are.
What is the difference from London dry gin?
London gin is a legally defined form of distilled gin that is not coloured and contains at most 0.1 gram of sweetener per litre; new western is only a style designation.
A gin can be London gin and new western in flavour direction at the same time: the legal requirements concern method, colouring and sweetening, not which botanicals are used alongside the juniper berry. On the label those two things therefore stand side by side and not opposed to each other.
Must juniper also prevail in a new western gin?
Yes, because for gin and distilled gin the regulation requires that the taste is predominantly that of juniper, whatever style name is on the label.
A bottle in which the juniper berry is no longer recognisable falls outside the gin categories and must be sold under another name. New western therefore describes a shift within the space the law allows, not a break with it.
How do you recognise this style on the shelf?
The style name is not always on the bottle, so the producer's list of botanicals says more than the word on the label.
Look at which plant parts are named first. If citrus peel, flowers, tea, cucumber or local herbs come first and the juniper berry further down, you are in this direction. If you are unsure about a bottle, ask at the counter in Bathmen; we will check the producer's details with you.
From the shop in Bathmen
How many gins from outside the British Isles are there in Bathmen?
In the shop in Bathmen there are 132 gins from outside Great Britain and Ireland with at least 37.5% alcohol from 59 different brands from 15 countries. Prices range from € 9.99 to € 159.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 37.5% to 57.5%.
- Aviation American Gin Batch Distilled 42% · 70 cl · United States
- Battumse Gin 38% · 50 cl · Netherlands
- Berghorst Spiced Ginever 38% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Black Tomato Gin 42.3% · 50 cl · Netherlands
- Bobby's Gin 42% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Bobby's Gin giftpack 42% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Bobby's Schiedam Dry Gin Pinang Raci Spice Blend 42% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Boomsma Dry Gin 45% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Bosford London Dry Gin 37.5% · 70 cl · Italy
- Bottega Bacur Gin 40% · 50 cl · Italy
Related questions
What is pink gin?What is sloe gin?What are botanicals in gin?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Is new western the same as contemporary gin?
- Neither of the two is a legal term. Both are used for gin in which other botanicals sit alongside the juniper berry.
- May a new western dry gin be sweetened?
- Gin and distilled gin may be sweetened. Only for London gin is that strictly limited.
- How much alcohol is in a new western dry gin?
- At least 37.5% vol, because that is the lower limit for all gin in the European regulation.
- Which countries does this style come from?
- The style is not tied to a single country. In Bathmen, the gins from outside the British Isles come from fifteen countries.
- Is dry in new western dry gin the same as in London dry?
- Dry points in both cases to little or no added sweetness, but only for London gin does the law set a limit.
The reasoning
Sources
- New Western dry gins, Difford's Guide (accessed 6 September 2026)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, consolidated text, EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, categories 19 to 22, EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Gin, The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Alcoholwet, article 20, Overheid.nl, wetten.overheid.nl (accessed 2026-09-06)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.