Gin is an alcoholic liquor made by distilling grain mash with juniper berries.
It is well-known for its unique flavour and for being a healthy drink because of its primary botanical ingredient – juniper berries.
Juniper berries are known to be fruits that not only help create a distinctive flavour. It also boosts your health by fighting colds or infections, helping you look younger, and increasing your lifespan.
Gin may be a unique liquor for people who are new to the industry. We believe that there is a gin brand that will suit every person, including those who think they will not enjoy it.
If you’re put off by assertive, sprucy gins, we’ve got a smooth and bright option for you. We also have a gin for you if you appreciate ancient pine boxes in dusty attics and wish to capture that sensory experience in a glass.
Types of Gin
There are several types of gin in the market, so it may confuse someone who is just starting out. The different categories of gin include:
London Dry Gin
The most well-known and popular type of gin. The London dry gin is a classic and extremely dry, with a strong juniper taste. This gin has no artificial flavours, and no additives can be added after the distillation process and has to have a minimum strength of 37.5% alcohol.
Bathtub Gin
The bathtub gin originated during the Prohibition era, when enthusiasts made gin in their bathtubs, hence the name.
Dutch or Genever Gin
The modern malt gin, like the original distilled malt wine, is made from malt grains. It has a deeper colour and a stronger, more subtle flavour.
Sloe Gin
Sloe gins are more approachable than normal gins. It is frequently classified as a liqueur due to its lower Alcohol By Volume (ABV). Sloe berries soaked in gin give this liquor a flavour identical to raisins.
Plymouth Gin
This is the only gin that can only be produced in Plymouth, England. It has a silkier mouthfeel and less juniper flavour due to the lower ABV. The minor salt that can be felt is linked to the vicinity of the seaside, and it contains mild earth notes.
Old Tom Gin
During the redistillation process, sugars or sweet botanicals are added to a London Dry Gin derivative. As a result, the flavour is sweeter on the palate.
Compound Gin
This is a very adaptable gin category. The procedure is basically considered as anything-goes, resulting in a diverse range of flavours. Compound gins are more popular when flavours are mixed with each other.
Recommendations of the Best Gin Brands
Here are our top suggestions of the best gin brands that are definitely worth trying.
1. HENDRICK’S Gin
HENDRICK’S Gin is an extremely popular gin brand, thanks to its classic, black, apothecary-style bottle and fancy branding.
Juniper, coriander, caraway, orange and lemon peel, elderflower, yarrow berries, angelica, orris root, and cubeb pepper are among the eleven botanicals included in the original combination.
Cucumber and rose are then infused into the finished product after distillation. This is why a cucumber makes an excellent garnish for a Hendrick’s G&T.
One thing that distinguishes this distillery is that they use both Bennett and Carter-Head stills, blending the results of both to create a smooth, balanced gin.
The brand’s other releases include the extremely floral and aromatic Luna and Orbium, a redesigned blend by Master Distiller Lesley Gracie that comprises quinine, wormwood, and blue lotus blossom.
2. TANQUERAY London Dry Gin
After Charles Tanqueray opened his Vine Street distillery in London in 1930, the brand has led the way in the gin world for almost 200 years. His experiments to make better gin resulted in nearly 300 recipes!
TANQUERAY London Dry Gin has received the most awards for its taste than any other gin.
It has an elegance and balance that sets it apart from the others, expertly created with a traditional combination of handmade and carefully selected botanicals (juniper, coriander, angelica, and liquorice) and distilled four times.
TANQUERAY Gin is a dry, crisp gin with a rich juniper flavour that produces the best gin and tonics and the driest martini cocktails.
This best gin rband is an ideal gift for Father’s Day or birthdays as it never fails to please!
3. THE BOTANIST Islay Dry Gin
An artisanal Islay gin, the Botanist Islay Dry Gin is produced by Bruichladdich Distillery. It is one of two gins produced on Islay and is distinguished by the addition of 22 locally chosen wild Islay botanicals to the nine traditional gin aromatics.
Following an overnight maceration of the Botanist Islay Dry Gin’s nine base botanicals from the seed, berry, bark, root and peel categories in spirit and Islay spring water, the gin is produced.
Next, the alcohol vapour infusion collected from the distillation flows through the botanical basket containing the 22 more delicate Islay fragrant leaves and petals.
The double infusion gives the Botanist gin its particular flavour, enabling the more delicate fragrant leaves and flowers to influence the gin vapour without being destroyed.
4. Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin is based in Germany’s Black Forest.
It combines old British traditions, the magnificent terrain of the Black Forest, and Indian spices into one enticing spirit.
This best gin brand was produced using the copious juniper supply that also contributes to the wonderful flavour of Black Forest ham.
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin has a fantastic assortment of 47 botanicals including jasmine, ginger, rosehip, real sage, acacia blossoms, cloves, orange, liquorice, honey pomelo, blackberry, allspice, almond, English hawthorn, mint, and elderberry.
It’s great in a Corpse Reviver, Vesper Martini, or the brand’s namesake Max & Monty drink.
5. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE London Dry Gin
Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin is a gin brand that was first introduced by IDV in 1986.
It is sold in a sapphire-coloured, flat-sided bottle with an image of Queen Victoria on the label.
The drink’s flavour is formed from a ten-ingredient recipe: almond, lemon peel, liquorice, orris root, angelica, juniper berries, coriander, cassia, cubeb, and grains of paradise.
To obtain the delectable flavour and scent, alcohol from another source is evaporated three times in a carter head still. The alcohol vapours are then passed through a mesh or basket containing the ten botanicals. This gives the gin a lighter and more floral flavour.
6. CITADELLE Gin
France’s CITADELLE Gin is made from wheat and spring water and is triple-distilled.
The master distiller picks the botanicals that will complement the freshness of the juniper with tart, floral, and exotic flavours before steeping in neutral alcohol.
It is a work of excellent balance, allowing the flavours and fragrances to blend in perfect harmony.
After steeping, the infusion is distilled in tiny Charentais pot stills over an open flame.
Slow distillation helps the distiller to carefully pick the heart of the gin, while the comparatively low swan’s neck promotes essential oil concentration. All of which contribute to the fragrant character of the gin, making it one of the best gin brand.
7. Roku Gin
Roku Gin is a unique, first of its kind, coming from the famous Suntory – Roku Gin in Japan.
This gin is created with a variety of botanicals, including six Japanese botanicals that give a quick tour of the four seasons.
To represent the four seasons, the ingredients added are sakura leaf and sakura flowers (spring), sencha tea and gyokura tea (summer), sansho pepper (autumn), and yuzu peel (winter).
This Suntory-branded gin is made in the ‘Liquor Atelier,’ a specialist artisan distillery. To extract the greatest flavours and attributes, the Master Distiller infuses each botanical differently through four types of pot stills and goes well as a cocktail. Add it to a gin and tonic topped with fresh ginger, or with a Negroni, Martini, or Gimlet for a fresh drink.
8. SIPSMITH London Dry Gin
This really remarkable, multi-award-winning gin is a definitive embodiment of the London Dry style and is our pride and delight.
Ten traditional botanicals that would not have surprised an 18th-century English distiller are macerated overnight to produce a remarkably smooth and characterful London Dry Gin.
SIPSMITH London Dry Gin is one of the very few gins in the world to be distilled using the one-shot process, hand-crafted in really small quantities, inspired by a historic recipe, and made using traditional procedures.
Every drop of gin has come into touch with copper and botanicals, resulting in an exquisite gin that sets the new standard for classic London Dry Gin.
9. Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin
Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin is the world’s most awarded (and tastiest) overproof gin.
The key ingredients are local finger limes, ginger, and turmeric. This high-quality gin emits strength and intensity.
There are elevated aromatics of lime curd, pine needles, and fragrant spices, with a vanilla flavour that ties everything together. The taste is strong – sweet and juicy – but very clean.
Native Australian finger limes provide it with explosive citrus, fresh ginger lends a powerful spice lift, and turmeric adds weight and a fresh yet earthy quality.
10. BEEFEATER London Dry Gin
Beefeater is one of the world’s top-selling gins, enjoyed by bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts in over 50 countries.
Distilled in a traditional London Dry style, this gin utilises the finest botanicals and the time-honoured technique of James Burrough’s original recipe from the 1800s.
Beefeater London Dry Gin, made with nine botanicals and neutral grain spirits steeped for 24 hours, has a very clear and powerful juniper flavour complemented by prominent citrus overtones.
11. KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin
KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin is made using Japanese botanicals such as yellow yuzu from the Kyoto Prefecture, hinoki wood chips (Japanese cypress), bamboo, gyokuro tea from the Uji area, and green sanshō (Japanese peppercorn) berries.
This gin is inspired by tradition and is distilled, mixed, and bottled in Kyoto. It is produced in a traditional dry style but with a distinctive Japanese accent.
KI NO BI is made with a rice spirit base and peerless water drawn from Fushimi, Japan’s renowned sake–brewing district.
Mastering the science of distillation with a combination of the age-old art of mixing, the botanicals in this gin were split into six different categories: Base, Citrus, Tea, Herbal, Spice, and Floral, and each category was independently distilled. The botanicals were then perfectly combined to create the unique KI NO BI flavour.
Conclusion
We hope that the list of recommendations of the best gin brands above will be useful to those who drink gin! Of course, you should definitely take your time to taste all the available gins on the market to find the one that is perfect for you.
