Clik here to view.
Gin is in. More than 40 million bottles are sold in the UK every year, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. But there are many types of gin, and a huge range of exciting brands to try, all based on the humble juniper berry, but each with their own different origins, styles and flavour profiles.
So how do you choose? What are the options, and which are the best of the best? We've supped enough gin to consider ourselves as being pretty knowledgeable about such things, so here are the answers to those questions, and more.
How to buy the best gin
What types of gin are there?
London Dry Gin: The best-known and most popular type of gin, this has flowery and aromatic characteristics, which result from botanicals, mainly juniper, being added during the second or third distillation. The vapours reach the alcohol as they pass through a still with an attachment called a gin head. Great for cocktails and martinis.
Craft Gin: This more modern type of gin uses the same distilling process as traditional gin, but is typically infused with additional (and sometimes surprising) flavours, pushing the envelope of the spirit’s more traditional characteristics. Gins in this category are otherwise known as new western gins.
Old Tom Gin: A sweetened version of London dry gin, with syrup and/or citrus notes. The gin of choice in the 19th century, it used only to be available only in the UK, but other countries now produce it too. Great for older gin cocktail recipes, including Tom Collins.
Genever Gin: Otherwise known as Schiedam gin, this Dutch and Belgian version of gin is the oldest there is. Dating back to the Middle Ages, it is – rather like whisky – distilled from malted grain mash and is often aged in oak casks. You can get two types – old Genever, which is sweet, aromatic and straw-coloured and young Genever, which is lighter and dryer.
Sloe Gin: This red liqueur is gin flavoured with sloe (blackthorn) drupes – a small fruit that’s a relative of the plum. The traditional production method involves soaking the sloes in the gin, using sugar to ensure the sloe juice is extracted from the fruit, but many commercial sloe gins are made by flavouring cheaper neutral grain spirits.
How is gin made?
The three most popular methods are:
Column distilled: This is the most common way to produce gin. A very concentrated spirit is created using a Coffey still. This is then redistilled with the addition of a “gin basket” filled with botanicals including juniper berries, whose flavours are extracted by the heat causing the vapour to rise. This produces a distilled gin or London dry gin with a light flavour.
Pot distilled: A traditional process that involves distilling fermented grain mash, made from grains like barley. This is then redistilled with botanicals to add flavour. It’s usually stored in tanks or wood casks to give a malt flavour that resembles that of whisky.
Compound gin: This involves flavouring neutral spirits with natural essences or flavourings – such as coriander, saffron, grapefruit, nutmeg, cinnamon and anise – without redistilling.
The best gin to buy (and drink)
1. Langley’s Number 8: Best for G&T
Price when reviewed:£30 - Buy now from Amazon
If you’re wondering what the number eight refers to, it’s the number of botanicals used in the recipe for this multiple-award winning, old-style gin. And we can confirm that the combo works a treat: this small-batch, 100% English grain spirit is silky smooth, well-balanced and sophisticated, with no single overpowering flavour. As ever, a good tonic is essential (we recommend Fever Tree), and we wholeheartedly agree with the manufacturers’ suggestion of adding a wedge of pink grapefruit, a sprig of basil and a few juniper berries for the ultimate G&T.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 41.7%; Bottle size: 70cl; Country of origin: England
2. Gin Mare: Best mediterranean style gin
Price when reviewed:£32 - Buy now from Amazon
You’ll be hard pushed to find a decent bar that doesn’t stock this unique Mediterranean-style gin. The name means “sea”, and with arbequina olives, basil, rosemary and thyme added to the usual botanicals, it’s more savoury and herbal than most – yet still beautifully delicate, smooth and aromatic. Indeed, despite the additional ingredients, it’s well accepted by gin purists, and makes a great starting point for luring newbies into the wide and wonderful world of gins. Ditch the lime garnish for a simple sprig of rosemary, orange peel or basil.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 42.7%; Bottle size: 70cl; Country of origin: Spain
3. Tanqueray 10: Best small batch gin
Price when reviewed:£33 - Buy now from Ocado
This very-small-batch London dry gin is citrussy, fresh and full-bodied; arguably, it’s the best martini gin around. Made from pink grapefruit, orange and lime, as well as chamomile flavours and other botanicals including coriander, angelica and liquorish, it’s named after Charles Tanqueray, who made the world’s first gin back in 1830, later creating this one which is distilled four times. It’s the only gin in the world-renowned San Francisco Spirits Hall of Fame, which tells you all you need to know about its standing in the world of spirits. A magnificent gin.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 47.3%; Bottle size: 70cl; Country of origin: England
4. Salcombe Gin Start Point: Best new gin
Price when reviewed:£37 - Buy now from Master of Malt
If you’re ever in the South Devon harbour town of Salcombe, keep walking past the Jack Wills and Joules until you get to a narrow street just before the boatyard. Perched among the art galleries and artisan shops, you’ll find the gem that is the Salcombe Distilling Company, complete with its own gin school. Inspired by the Salcombe Fruiters – who imported the majority of the UK’s citrus fruit in the 19th century – their gin is packed with zesty grapefruit, lemon and lime flavours, boosted by coriander, cardamom, liquorice, cinnamon bark, chamomile and, of course, the all-essential juniper. Water sourced from Dartmoor is then used to soften it down to a smooth 44% ABV.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 44%; Bottle size: 70cl; Country of origin: England
5. Monkey 47: Best luxury gin
Price when reviewed:£48 - Buy now from Fortnum&Mason
Germany might not be the first country you’d think of when it comes to gin, but don’t underestimate this distinctive offering. Hailing from the Black Forest, it unusually features cranberry among its 47 botanicals, all prepared in exceptionally soft spring water. Winner of award after award, its aroma is highly evocative; while you get an initial zingy citrus taste, that’s followed by a swell of flavours including lingonberries, liquorice, cardamom and herbal juniper. Don’t ask us to identify all 47 botanicals – we reckon even the world’s best gin experts would struggle – but there’s no doubt they each add something to this complex and rich gin that’s a winner for both traditional and more contemporary cocktails.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 47%; Bottle size: 50cl; Country of origin: Germany
6. King of Soho: Best crowd pleaser
Price when reviewed: £34 - Buy now from Ocado
Despite the funky blue bottle, this full-bodied, fresh-tasting gin is made using highly traditional methods. A selection of twelve botanicals give it a delectable combination of sweetness, earthiness and above all, citrus with a touch of grapefruit bitterness. Great for cocktails and G&Ts, its namesake is the gin-maker Howard Raymond’s father Paul, the original “King of Soho”, who helped revolutionise the district of central London. Beautifully aromatic, it’s a real crowd pleaser.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 42%; Bottle size: 70cl; Country of origin: England
7. Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin Navy Strength: Best navy strength gin
Price when reviewed: £40 - Buy now from Ocado
A three-time winner at the World Gin Awards, this complex gin is stronger than the original Bathtub gin – apologies in advance for the hangover – but also has more oomph in the taste department, as the botanicals are bashed up to extract more flavour. Produced in small batches by cold compounding (which gives it a straw hue), it comes in a unique brown-paper-and-string wrapped bottle that’s then wax-sealed. Both earthy and woody, it’s delish, and at 57% ABV it packs a hell of a kick: if you’re wondering where the term “navy-strength” comes from, it’s because the British navy reputedly used to require gin to be so strong that, if it was accidentally splashed on gunpowder, the powder would still ignite.
Key specs – Acohol content: 57%; bottle size: 70cl; country of origin: England
8. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Blackfriar’s Gin: Best budget gin
Price when reviewed:£16 - Buy now from Sainsbury's
If you don’t want to splash too much cash, Sainsbury’s own-brand offering – made by Greenall’s, and distilled four times using a mix of ten botanicals – is our favourite supermarket gin. Some drinks in this price range can taste drab at best – and coarse and aggressively alcoholic at worst – but this one has clear and rounded citrus and spice favours, for an lovely fruity gin that lends itself to a decent G&T. And it has its fair share of awards to prove its worth.
Key specs: alcohol content: 43%; bottle size: 70cl; country of origin: England
9. Hayman’s Old Tom: Best Old Tom gin
Price when reviewed:£23 - Buy now from Amazon
Old Tom is a slightly sweeter and spicier style of gin, dating back to early Victorian England. In the twentieth century it was somewhat overshadowed by the London dry style, but it’s lately seen a resurgence among cocktail enthusiasts, with The Dorchester having one exclusively made for its bar. Of the Old Toms on general sale, the Hayman’s is good value and delicious – just the ticket for cocktails like the Martinez and the Tom Collins. If you’ve found other gins a little too dry for your taste, this could be the one for you.
Key specs: alcohol content: 40%; bottle size: 70cl; country of origin: England
10. Hendricks Gin: Best all-rounder
Price when reviewed: £37 - Buy now from Selfridges
It's hard to believe that Hendricks was launched as recently as 1999: it feels like it’s been around forever, and you’ll be hard pushed to find a cocktail bar anywhere in the world without a bottle of Hendricks in the mix. It’s good for newcomers to gin, with a clean, refreshing taste, mostly thanks to an unusual mix of botanicals including cubeb berries, elderflower, chamomile and yarrow. If you want a good, solid G&T, with a summery floral aroma, look no further – but for the authentic Hendricks experience, use cucumber instead of the more traditional citrus garnish.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 41.4%; Bottle size: 70cl; Country of origin: Scotland