Castle & Key Roots Of Ruin Dry Gin
Castle & Key Roots Of Ruin Dry Gin is a 53% ABV (106 proof), 750mL Kentucky dry gin from Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort — built on a rye whiskey newmake base and vapor-distilled with eight botanicals. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 53% (106 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Botanicals: Juniper, chamomile, ginger, rosemary, licorice root, lemon verbena, coriander and angelica root
- Base: Rye whiskey newmake — mash bill 63% rye, 17% yellow corn, 20% malted barley
- Production: Vapor-distilled, non-chill filtered
- Origin: Castle & Key Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
A Rye-Based Gin From the Restored Old Taylor Distillery
Castle & Key makes its spirits on storied ground: the Old Taylor Distillery, built in 1887 by Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. as a castle-like showpiece of bourbon hospitality, left to ruin for decades, then bought in 2014 and restored. Roots of Ruin takes its name from that ruin — and its base from the distillery's own rye mash bill, the same recipe as its Restoration Rye. Vapor distillation draws out the botanicals gently, and three of them — chamomile, ginger and rosemary — give this gin a bright, aromatic signature no neutral-spirit gin can copy. Explore the Castle & Key collection, more gin, and the full spirits shelves at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Bright and floral on the nose, with subtle baking spice and soft pine. The palate balances citrus and lemon verbena with spicy ginger and sweet chamomile flower, over an earthy depth of angelica, soft juniper and rosemary; the finish is smooth, sweet and creamy with hints of spice.
How to Enjoy
At 106 proof it holds its own in a Negroni and stays vivid in a Gin & Tonic — the distillery also builds Martinis on it. Garnish with lemon or fresh herbs to lean into the verbena and rosemary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What botanicals are in Roots of Ruin? Eight: juniper, chamomile, ginger, rosemary, licorice root, lemon verbena, coriander and angelica root — with chamomile, ginger and rosemary the most distinctive.
Why is this gin 106 proof? Castle & Key bottles it at 53% ABV so the botanical flavour stays intense in cocktails instead of washing out — higher than a standard dry gin.
Where is Castle & Key? In Frankfort, Kentucky, on the restored site of the Old Taylor Distillery, founded in 1887 by Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. and brought back from ruin by Castle & Key from 2014.
What is the base spirit? The distillery's own rye whiskey newmake, from a mash bill of 63% rye, 17% yellow corn and 20% malted barley.
A gin with a rye whiskey backbone, distilled in a castle Taylor built — pick up Roots Of Ruin online through Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.