Far North Spirits Gustaf Navy Strength Gin

Far North Spirits Gustaf Navy Strength Gin is distilled at 57% ABV in Hallock, Minnesota, on the state's northern prairie border, making it one of the few grain-to-glass American gins bottled at traditional navy proof. The distillery grows its own wheat and rye on-site, then mills, ferments, and distils everything in-house, a level of vertical integration rare among craft producers. Gustaf is built for cocktails that demand backbone — a Negroni, a Martini stirred cold, a Last Word that won't collapse under lime and Chartreuse — but the botanicals are dialed in carefully enough that it works neat if you want to taste what Minnesota terroir does to juniper. Far North was founded by Michael Swanson in 2007, originally as a malting operation supplying craft breweries and distilleries across the upper Midwest. The distillery itself came online in 2013, and every spirit in the lineup — vodka, aquavit, bourbon, rye, gin — starts with grain harvested within sight of the still. The botanicals for Gustaf lean floral and herbal rather than citrus-forward, with lavender, honeysuckle, and juniper anchoring the profile, and the wheat base gives the gin a rounder, creamier mouthfeel than London Dry styles built on neutral grain spirit. The navy strength proof is traditional — the ABV at which gunpowder soaked in gin would still ignite, a test carried out on British Royal Navy ships to prevent diluted rations. On the nose, you get layered lavender, juniper, and honeysuckle, with a faint citrus note closer to yuzu or lime zest than grapefruit. The palate is spicy and expansive, white pepper and licorice threading through the juniper core, and the finish lingers with a zesty, almost saline quality that reads as both earth and sea. It's excellent in a 2:1 Martini with a twist, or split-base in a Corpse Reviver No. 2 if you want the florals to stand up to Lillet and absinthe. The higher proof also makes it a strong candidate for barrel-aged cocktails — it won't go flat after a month in oak the way 80-proof gins sometimes do. Available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, with local Chicago delivery and nationwide shipping.