One of the most versatile spirits, Gin has experienced, over the last few years, a raise in popularity worldwide. Gin bars as well as artisanal and independent distilleries everywhere, gin menus in restaurants and even a gin hotel in London: the cult around this juniper-infused spirit is high and trendy. Today, gin lovers have the opportunity to enjoy a great variety and diversity of gins. Indeed, except from the pine flavor that comes from juniper, which is gin’s signature ingredient, infinite combination of botanicals are possible. It’s really hard to get bored of drinking it!
But which are the best gins? With so many distilleries everywhere it could be a hard and drunken mission trying all of them! Here are listed the best gins that every gin addicted has to try. And, surprisingly, not all of them are English.
Called in honour of Agnes Arber, botany and philosophy who published an extensive library of books about the study of natural history, it’s a beautiful gin composed by 9 different botanicals. Distillers combine earth notes from juniper, coriander and angelica with a spicy undertones of cassia and sweet acidic flavours from lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. Everything mix with an interesting note of liquorice for creating this marvelous and balanced texture. If you didn’t try it yet, you should remedy soon!
Made in the small fishing town of Vilanova, just outside Barcelona, this amazing Spanish gin will bring all the best of Mediterranean flavours in your glass! Local botanicals like rosemary, thyme, olive, basil and mandarin are distilled together for creating an unusual and complex taste. Enjoy your Gin Mare and tonic with a rosemary twig or some basil leaves for boosting its flavour up. Salud!
Who said that Scottish distill just Whisky? Indeed, it’s from Scotland that comes one of the best gins at the moment. Created by the brain of Bruichladdich’s distillers, this amazing Islay dry gin has enough botanicals to sent your nose and palate in ecstasy. In fact, it is distilled with 31 botanicals, including 22 hand- foraged locally. Let yourself be captured from its big notes of citrus, delicate menthol and flowers flavour!
It’s 100% made in Italy the next winner! A proper modern bathtub gin who combines the artisanal tradition of distilling techniques with a huge Mediterranean herbal heritage. Wild italian junipers from Tuscany are distilled with 10 more botanicals, spices, citrus peels and a secret ingredient. “À la Madame” is one of the two expressions of the Gin del Professore. A floral, fruity and extremely spiced gin, where the intense sweet flavour is perfectly balanced with its citrus notes. If you have sweet tastes, you can’t miss it!
Always from Spain it comes one more of the best gins that every gin addicted has to add in his wishlist. Nordes is a Galician gin inspired from the freshness of the Atlantic wind. An Albarino-grape based spirit distill with 12 botanicals including ginger, hibiscus, liquorice and eucalyptus. The result is an audacious and intriguing gin with a strong floral texture. Perfect for refreshing your summer nights!
This beautiful Japanese spirit is the first gin produced from the legendary Suntory distillery: a complex texture with refreshing citrus and spicy notes. Roku, which means “six” in Japanese, is referred to the 6 local botanicals, added to the 8 traditional gin ones, which will make you start a taste tour of the four seasons! Indeed, sakura flower and sakura leaf provide a pinch of spring, summery flavours are brought from sencha tea and gyokuro tea, sansho pepper will bring you in autumn times and yuzu peel will enrich your glass with wintery notes. Definitely a must try!
This Finnish rye-based gin is another gem to discover. Inaugural winner of the IWSC Gin & Tonic Trophy in 2015, Napue Gin is distilled using rye grain and fine botanicals, including meadowsweet, sea-buckthorn, cumin and cranberries. The result is an amazing crisp and refreshing taste, enriched from a spicy pepper tone at the end. Great stuff!
An unusual gin from the Black forest in Germany, Monkey 47 Dry is one of the best gins you can have. 47 for the number of botanicals used as well as from its alcohol content. With a World Spirit Award Gold under its belt, it combines with mastery British traditions, the exoticism of India and the purity of the Black Forest. A robust flavour made from spicy, fruity and herbal notes. Banging!
Produced on the Albury Estate in the Surrey Hills, next to the mythical and beautiful Silent Pool’s lake, it’s an elegant gin in taste and design. Silent Pool gin is made with 24 botanicals which include kaffir lime, chamomile, local honey and lavender. Be amazed from its bold, subtly sweet and balanced flavour!
It’s the higher-strength variation of the Scapegrace Gin recipe, with 57% ABV. It’s made in New Zealand, adding to the 12 botanicals, presented in the basic version, tangerine peels, incrementing in this way its fruitiness. Some curious facts: its distinctive black bottle is inspired by an antique genever flask and “Scapegrace” is another name for rogue or scoundrel.
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