Monkey 47 Distiller's Cut Gin 2024
The 2024 Distiller's Cut is the 14th annual special edition of Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin — 47% ABV (94 proof), 375mL — and its one-off 48th botanical is the caper. Hand-picked caper buds from La Nicchia di Pantelleria, a family farm working the volcanic island of Pantelleria since 1949, are salted in two stages, rinsed, and added to the macerate before distillation, layering a briny, nutty edge over the classic 47-botanical recipe. A limited annual release, available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 47% (94 proof)
- Size: 375mL (US bottling)
- Distillery: Black Forest Distillers, Black Forest, Germany
- 48th botanical: Pantelleria capers (La Nicchia di Pantelleria)
- Edition: 14th Distiller's Cut, released 2024
- Production: maceration, copper pot distillation and vapour infusion; rested in earthenware, unfiltered
From the Black Forest, With One Extra Botanical
Monkey 47 began with Alexander Stein and master distiller Christoph Keller reviving a recipe traced to Montgomery "Monty" Collins, a British RAF commander who ran a Black Forest guesthouse in the 1950s and named his gin for Max, a monkey he sponsored at Berlin Zoo. The base gin combines 47 botanicals — a third of them from the Black Forest itself, including spruce shoots, lingonberries and cranberries. Each year the Distiller's Cut adds one carefully chosen 48th botanical; for 2024 it is the caper, sourced from La Nicchia's salt-cured harvest on Pantelleria, the Sicilian island between Sicily and Tunisia. The green label echoes the colour of the salted capers.
Tasting Notes
The brand calls it a spicy and elegant dry gin with a hint of the sea and a sweetly nutty core, against a background of exceptional density and complexity — classic Monkey 47 depth with a savoury, briny lift from the capers.
How to Enjoy
The distiller's own serve is neat, garnished with a single La Nicchia caper. It also makes a striking dry Martini or a gin and tonic where the caper's salt-kissed edge can show.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the special ingredient in Monkey 47 Distiller's Cut 2024? Capers. The 48th botanical for the 2024 edition is the caper bud, grown and salt-cured by La Nicchia di Pantelleria on the island of Pantelleria and added to the macerate before distillation.
Why is Monkey 47 Distiller's Cut sold in a 375mL bottle in the US? The American bottling of the Distiller's Cut is 375mL; the larger 500mL bottle is the European bottling. This listing is the US 375mL import.
How many botanicals are in Monkey 47 gin? The standard recipe uses 47 botanicals at 47% ABV. The Distiller's Cut editions add one extra botanical each year — capers for 2024 — taking it to 48.
Find limited-edition gins like this 2024 Distiller's Cut on the shelf and online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.