Bimini Gin is an award-winning, handcrafted gin, which draws its inspiration from coastal summers and winter daydreams of warm places such as the Bimini islands, the closest Caribbean islands to the U.S. coast. The location notably inspired Ernest Hemingway’s novel Islands in the Stream. Bimini Gin is now widely available throughout the Northeast via David Bowler Wine in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Horizon Beverage in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont; and Lanterna Wine in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
Founded by husband and wife team Darren Case and Kristina Hansen in 2015, Round Turn Distilling, the home of Bimini Gin, is located on the coast of Maine in the up-and-coming mill town of Biddeford, just south of Portland. Case and Hansen, who also serve as the distillers, have transformed their space in a 150 year-old textile mill into a state-of-the-art distillery.
“Bimini is inspired by bright sunshine, warm breezes and sparkling waves. We wanted to create a gin which would capture the taste of summer vacation all year round,” says Darren Case, founder/owner and Distiller of Bimini Gin and Round Turn Distilling. “Bimini’s flavor profile is based on another favorite summer drink, IPA. We chose seven botanicals including hops, grapefruit peel, and toasted barley to create a citrusy gin with big juniper up front and a smooth, clean finish.”
While all gin uses juniper as its primary botanical flavoring, Bimini Gin uses it differently. Juniper berries are often blamed for the pine tree taste that turns many people away from gin altogether. At Round Turn Distilling, the botanicals are separated into groups, each of which is milled and macerated for 2-4 days and distilled separately. By using a packed column with a dephlemagator, the vapor temperature is closely controlled to minimize the juniper’s pine tree notes and maximizes smoothness. This modern distillation process result is a fragrant, smooth tasting gin that is perfectly drinkable neat or with ice or enhanced in a cocktail. Bimini is a modern American Gin.
Bimini uses a neutral base spirit made from non-GMO American corn that is distilled four times for exceptional purity, our water originates in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and comes from the Saco River, which flows past Round Turn into the Atlantic Ocean.
As for a signature cocktail, Case recommends the Bimini Special, a recipe inspired by a drink in the Ernest Hemmingway novel, Islands in the Stream. Set amidst the white sands and tall coconut palms of the island of Bimini in the 1930s, relaxing after a day of marlin fishing the protagonist sips a “tall cold drink made of gin, lime juice, green coconut water, and chipped ice with just enough Angostura bitters to give it a rusty, rose color.”
ABOUT BIMINI GIN
Bimini is inspired by bright sunshine, warm breezes and sparkling waves, the taste of summer vacation all year round. Handcrafted by Round Turn Distilling in Biddeford, Maine, a state-of-the-art distillery located in a 150 year-old textile mill on the coast, Bimini is a Modern American Gin. Bimini Gin is currently available in the following states: DC, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT. Bimini is available in 750ml and 1.0L bottles, 47% alc/vol. and recently won a Double Gold Medal at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. SRP: $32 for 750ml, $39 for 1L.
