The options are endless when you’re looking for the best bottle of Gin.
You’ll find plenty of top-shelf options, one more expensive than the next. But you won’t find a guide to really help you break down and understand which brand of Gin you never knew you wanted.
This is that guide.
Gin Might not be your first choice for an on-the-rocks sipper.
But on this list, you’ll find absolutely divine flavors, and you will learn to enjoy Gin like you never have before.
And of course, if you prefer a nice cocktail instead, our recommendations will work brilliantly with all your favorite mixes.
Below, you’ll find our list of the top brands in the world and a buyer’s guide to Gin as well as answers to how it’s made and what types are there.
Finally, we’ll round off this article with tips on how to drink and really enjoy Gin as well as the key tasting notes and vocabulary you’ll need to become a true aficionado.
The 9 Best Gin Brands you can buy
Before we introduce the top 9 gin brands, here is the breakdown of the best 5 Gin brands that are ranked best for:
| Rank | Brand | Best for: |
| 1 | Bombay Sapphire Gin | Best Overall |
| 2 | Bols Genever Original Gin | Best High-End Option |
| 3 | Fords gin | Best Value |
| 4 | Monkey 47 Dry Gin | Best for Brand Prestige |
| 5 | Hardshore Gin | Most Easy To Drink |
Now, let us begin with the top 9 best Gin brands you must try this year:
Fords Gin
This popular gin brand was introduced by Simon Ford back in the year 2012 and is now owned by Brown Forman. Ford’s gin is just a world-class collab between Simon Ford himself and master distiller from the 8th generation Charles Maxwell.
Fords gin is distilled in London, by the Thames Distillers, and ingredients like jasmine, lemon, juniper, orris root, Angelica Root, coriander, cassia, grapefruit, and bitter orange are gathered to produce one of the best gins in the world. It is 90 Proof (45% ABV) and is pretty affordable for people of all kinds. Not just that, Fords Gin is known as the ‘bartenders choice’ widely around the world. You can say it is the best gin if your plan is to enjoy some of the best gin cocktails. You can expect floral, fruity, and earthy tones with a spicy cinnamon finish. This brand has also won several awards by the San Francisco Spirits Competition and was chosen as the Best New Product at Spirited Awards 2013.
Fords Gin is a perfect choice, for the perfect night!
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Bombay Sapphire Gin is one of the premium gin bottles that have won hearts ever since its first launch. The English wine merchant IDV introduced Bombay Sapphire Gin in the year 1986 in England, however, the brand was sold to Bacardi by Diago in 1997.
The name Bombay Sapphire Gin was originated from the rising demand for gin during British colonialization in India. The bottles are, to date, produced by Bombay Spirits Co. limited and come with an ABV of 40% for specific regions and 47% for others, including the US. Bombay Sapphire Gin is made from grains and other ten ingredients, including juniper berries, coriander, angelica, cassia, cubeb, almond, lemon peel, licorice, orris root, and alligator pepper.
You will experience floral sweetness with a fruity tone on the background as of its taste. The texture is thick and somewhat oily to touch. It has a strong smell of acidic lemon. The aftertaste will surprise you with its spicy, citric-like, strong finish.
Not only do people around the world prefer this bottle of exclusive gin for parties and refreshments, but Bombay Sapphire Gin is also widely acknowledged by experts from all around the world. In fact, it has also achieved 92/100 by the Beverage Testing Institute and has ranked as one of the famous gins highly favored by experts.
Hardshore Gin
Hardshore Gin is yet another popular brand established by Jordan Milne in 2016. It happened four years after Jordon Milne began to create the perfect gin recipe. However, to date, Hardshore Gin is distilled in the Hardshore Distilling Co.
Five botanicals like Rosemary, Juniper, Mint, orris root, and coriander are used to make this perfect bottle of gin. It has an ABV of 46% and is chilled filtered. The taste of Hardshore gin is minty, with notes of apple mint leaves, lemon, and pineapple, while the aftertaste will give you rosemary, fir needles, and earl grey tea-like finish. The aroma will give off the fresh essence of caramelized pineapple, woody rosemary, and hay, along with fruity and floral undertones.
The taste and texture are just perfect to create a delightful glass of exotic cocktails. The most popular cocktails like martini suit the best for Hardshore Gin. This stunning, balanced gin has also won gold medals from popular spirit contests, including the International Bartender Spirits Awards 2021. It has also achieved high points of 94 and 92 in other spirit competitions.
Monkey 47 Dry Gin
Monkey 47 Dry Gin is a unique bottle of gin that is made with 47 exact numbers of various plant ingredients. This gin brand was established by Alexander Stein and was launched to the market in the year 2010. Since 2016, the brand has been under Pernod Richard. The Monkey 47 gin is exceptionally unique and also has a secret recipe that is only limited to Alexander Stein and distiller Christoph Keller.
Monkey 47 Dry Gin has an ABV of 47% and is finely distilled in the Black Forest Distillers in Germany. Its ingredients include 47 plants, including lime, sage, cardamom, jasmine, lingonberries, etc. the aroma of Monkey 47 Dry Gin is somewhat woody with fruity and citrus tones and juniper. On your tongue, you will feel the smoothness, richness, and perfect complexity of pine, floral notes, and citrus. The aftertaste will give you a long and dry note of pine and herbs.
It is surely a proper classic dry gin that comes from the black forest in Germany.
Bols Genever Original Gin
Bols Genever Original Gin belongs to the oldest distillery brand in the world. It has been in business since 1575, and today it has its bottles distributed in over 110 countries in the world and offers different alcohol lines providing more than 30 flavors. Apart from gin, the brand also sells vodkas and genevers.
Bols Genever Original Gin, however, is a recipe from 1820 and is still distilled in Lucas Bols Distillery. They offer both aged and unaged variants of Bols Genever Original Gin. It comes with an ABV of 42% and has unique flavors. The aroma is a sweet mix with spice, berry fruits, undertone, a little bit of citrus, and creamy malt. You will experience barley, pepper, some juniper, and sourdough bread on the palate. The finish is spicy and peppery.
This spicy original Genever gin has impressed the locals and the experts from other places. Some of the popular achievements are a Double gold by Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America convention 2018. It has also received the Best Dutch Genever Award.
Plymouth Gin
Plymouth Gin is a popular gin style that has been widely loved since 1793. The distillery of this gin used to be a monastery. However, by 1412, it was then known as the Plymouth Gin Distillery. They offer Plymouth original strength Gin that is mainly known to be London dry. So you can say it is one of its kind and perhaps one of the oldest gin in current times.
Plymouth Gin comes with an ABV of 41.2% and includes botanical ingredients like Cardamom, Coriander, Lemon, Orris Root, etc. it has a sweet aroma of angelica and juniper with subtle tones of coriander and cardamom. You can expect lemon zest, juniper, cardamom, sweet orange, and angelica on the palate. The finish is moderate and gives off a coriander and angelica aftertaste. It also has a smooth, oil-like texture making it smoother to sip.
It is a great choice for cocktails. In fact, a number of bartenders from popular bars have chosen Plymouth Gin as their first choice. Plymouth Gin would really make some of the best dry martinis.
Porter’s Modern Classic Gin
Porter’s Modern Classic Gin is a gin brand established by Ben Iravani, Alex Lawrence, and Josh Rennie in the year 2016. The bottle of Porter’s Modern Classic Gin is made with 12 botanicals, including orris root, almond, lemon, pink peppercorn, buddha’s hand, juniper, cinnamon, etc.
Porter’s Modern Classic Gin is an unaged bottle of gin with 41% ABV. It is 80 Proof and distilled with 100% pure British grain wheat and fresh botanicals. It is crystal clear and has no tint of color at all. The smell of Porter’s Modern Classic Gin is somewhat zesty citrus and earthy. As of its taste, you will experience the spice of pink peppercorn, pine, and lemony. The finish gives off the taste of peppercorn spice and lemon.
This bottle has also won Bronze by the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2017, and surely the demand in the market.
Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651
This bottle of gin was created by Gaz Regan, Leo Robitschek, and Jeffery Morgenthaler. The gin includes botanicals like coriander seeds, makrut lime leaves, bitter orange peel, angelica, etc. the distillation takes place in the Vale Fox Distillery, which is located in an extraordinary way!
As of its aroma, you can expect the juniper notes with a floral scent, followed by a subtle role of citrus. On the palate, you can experience the fruity and floral tones that lead to smooth flavors of vanilla. The finish is mellow and moderately long. With an ABV of 48%, Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651 is surely one of its own kind in the world of gins.
Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin
Ki No Bi means The Beauty of the Seasons, and it is also known to be an inspiration for the first Japanese gin that is distilled as well as bottled in Kyoto. Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin is a dry gin made with a Japanese accent because its ingredients include Japanese botanicals including bamboo, hinoki wooden chips, Japanese peppercorn, etc. It has an ABV of 45.7% and is made from 100% pure groundwater and rice-based spirit.
The aroma of Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin has wonderful notes of citrus with green tea tones and juniper. On the palate, you can feel the freshness of orange oil and loads of citrus with earthy tones. The aftertaste comes in a bitter, peppercorn, wormwood, and ginger-like finish.
Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin is one of the best Gin choices when it comes to enjoying a martini. Just mix Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin and enjoy the best martinis.
The Beginners Buyer’s Guide to Gin
Gin, for sure, is the party man when we talk about its influence in the nightlives around the world. But, that doesn’t mean beginners cannot begin their first alcohol experience with gin. However, as a beginner, there are certain things you must know about gin. The list is as follows:
- Gin is said to be the national spirit of England, and the London-style gin was introduced soon after the Dutch War of Independence.
- Store your gin in some cool place between 55 to 60 degrees. This is an ideal temperature and will preserve your gin for a longer time. However, make sure you do not refrigerate it.
- One of the best ways to enjoy gin is to add ice or sip it raw. But if you wish to enjoy some simple gin recipes, you can add tonic water, soda, or lime juice to your gin.
- There are more than just a few ways to enjoy gin as cocktails. The best choices are Martini, French 75, Bramble, Negroni, Gimlet, etc.
How is it made
Curious about how your favorite gin is produced? The following steps will help you out:
- The manufacturing process occurs when vodka is highly concentrated with ethanol.
- The distillation process happens in three different ways:
- Columned distilled gin
It is the common process to distill gin. In this process, a very concentrated spirit is produced and is redistilled with the botanicals. There is an attached pot that will then extract the vapor. This process is also used during the production of London dry gin. - Pot Distilled gin
In this process, fermented malt wine from grains was distilled and then again distilled with the botanicals. This is the oldest process to produce gin. - Compound gin
Compound gin is the process that is also the cheapest way to flavor gin. You need to add flavors to the base spirit without distilling it any other time. - The minimum ABV of gin is 40%.
The Most Expensive Bottle of Gin in the world
Gin Morus LXIV is the most expensive bottle of gin in the world. This exclusive masterpiece costs $7,400 per bottle. It takes almost two years to produce this popular expensive bottle of gin. It has unique exteriors as well as an authentic taste in the interiors. They also give offer a stirrup cup with the jar of Gin Morus LXIV.
Glossary of terms. What you need to know for Gin
Here is the list of terms you must know about Gin:
- Bathtub gin: a bottle of gin that hasn’t undergone redistillations once the botanicals were added.
- Classic gin: a bottle of gin that tastes very much like juniper.
- Nose: the aroma of the gin.
- Palate: the taste of the gin.
- Yellow gin: the gins that were aged in barrels.
- Botanicals: ingredients that are added to gin in order to flourish the flavors during the process of distillations, infusions, or maceration.
Methodology, how we select the best
There are more than just a few brands of gins; that is why we yield to list the best bottles of gin for you. The following will tell you on what basis do we choose the best gins around the world:
- Quality and taste like no other
The names we choose are some of the best brands offering authentic gins for ages. - Price
The prices and the affordability plays an important role; this is why we choose brands that offer the best quality at affordable prices. - Best for cocktails
Raw or not, on the rocks or not, you can enjoy the best gin experience with world-famous cocktails.
