London dry gin. Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavor from juniper berries. Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is usually differentiated into two individual categories: distilled gin and compound gin. Distilled gin is produced by extracting the neutral spirits from an alcoholic grain wash using a refluxing still. Compound gin is made by simply flavoring neutral spirit with essences or other "natural flavorings" without redistillation.