TV presenter James May decided to make gin that tastes like American mustard. Not mustard flavoured gin. Not gin with a hint of mustard. Actual American mustard gin – the kind you’d squirt on a hot dog, now distilled into something you’re supposed to drink on purpose…
The man’s known for driving cars very fast and occasionally setting fire to caravans. Now he’s in the spirits business and his first move was to create something that sounds like a dare gone wrong..!
The Botulism Problem Nobody Saw Coming
Bizarre But True! When May’s team started developing this thing, they discovered that distilling mustard seed produces impressively poisonous compounds. We’re talking botulism-level toxins of the kind that turn a novelty gin into a potential medical emergency.
According to James Gin’s own product description, they had to abandon traditional distillation methods entirely. Instead, they add the mustard seed and dill pickle after the gin’s been distilled the normal way. The official line? “Proper mustard flavour without the botulism.”
That’s the bar. Not poisoning your customers is now a selling point it would seem…
The Anagram Workaround
The gin was originally sold under the name “American Ramstud” – a cheeky anagram designed to dodge TTB regulations in the United States before it could be sold under its actual name.
Apparently, American alcohol regulators aren’t fans of condiment-themed spirits. (Who knew mustard gin would need a legal workaround?!)
According to Imbibe Magazine, the gin doesn’t taste specifically like mustard itself. The overall effect is “reminiscent of the piquant condiment,” which makes it a natural match for savoury cocktails like Bloody Marys or dirty Martinis.
So it’s mustard gin that doesn’t really taste like mustard. Got it.
The Bizarre Botanicals Trend
May’s not alone in this weirdness. The gin industry’s gone completely off-script. Distillers are using red wood ants (which contribute citrusy tang from their natural formic acid), oyster shells, raw squid ink, butter blocks, volcanic rock, seaweed, Christmas puddings, and gingerbread biscuits in their spirits.
One Japanese gin called Blanc De Noirs uses raw squid ink from Hakodate alongside pineapples to create a balance of smokiness and fruitiness.
The global flavoured spirits market was valued at $16.03 billion in 2021 and is projected to hit $50.77 billion by 2029 and these innovative flavours encourage 26% of consumers to pay more for alcoholic drinks, whilst superior taste motivates 52% to spend extra.
Turns out people will pay for weird. As long as it tastes good …and doesn’t kill them.
Celebrity Spirits Everywhere
George Clooney sold Casamigos Tequila to Diageo for $1 billion in 2017 which triggered an industry-wide explosion…
Celebrity alcohol brands jumped from fewer than 40 in 2018 to over 350 by late 2022. The trend now outpaces the spirits industry as a whole, with 54% of retailers intentionally stocking celebrity-owned spirits because big names attract shoppers.
May’s gin fits perfectly into this landscape – recognisable personality, genuinely unusual product and enough novelty to grab headlines without falling into pure gimmick territory.
The Verdict
So does it actually taste like mustard?
Not quite – and that’s the genius of it. The mustard seed and dill pickle create a sharp, savoury tang that sits somewhere between a dirty martini and a pickle-back shot. It’s piquant without being condiment-forward. Think less “hot dog topping” and more “aggressive gin with attitude.”
Which means this isn’t a novelty disaster you buy once for the Instagram story and never touch again. It’s a genuinely functional savoury gin. If you want gin that challenges the usual juniper-and-citrus formula without collapsing into gimmick territory, this is it.
Get a bottle and find out what nearly-botulism-but-actually-good tastes like…!
" Ever since my mother gave me some as a baby, I’ve been fascinated by the taste of gin.
Much later in life, I bought half a pub, and was struck with an idea: what if I created a gin of my own, to serve to the customers?
After a few more gins this idea had blossomed into a rabid desire for world domination through gin. And so this tiny grain of thought was dropped into the craft still of ambition, and the result was James Gin."
