The best Gin taste tested: bottles our experts recommend

An incredibly fun gin that hales from the Black Forest in Germany. The name comes from the number of botanicals that go into this unique gin, and the fact it’s bottled at bedtime-inducing 47% proof. Palate-wise it’s complex (there are, also, pleasingly, forty-seven different tastes packed in there). Woody, spicy, fruity, and herby: it is pretty much everything a gin can be.

Just brilliant, isn’t it? You don’t need us to tell you that. It contains 11 botanicals, along with cucumber and rose to give it that distinctive flavour. To best enjoy, have it with cucumber, in the sun. Obviously. This is a classic stepping stone gin for those looking to branch out beyond the basics. Try it out in the early part of your gin odyssey.

From the use of locally sourced Sugar Kelp, to the fact that every beautifully-designed bottle is hand-sealed, the Isle of Harris Distillery makes sure to put the Scottish Isle at the heart of their distilling process. The gin itself is infused with nine botanicals, including a sweet citrus of orange peel, complemented by the fresh herbal flavour of crushed coriander and the base of Juniper. The Sugar Kelp adds a maritime note to this award-winning gin. Every bottle is shipped directly from the distillery in the Outer Hebrides.

Made using the traditional method of Cold Compounding, in which the spirit is slowly infused with botanicals, including orange peel, coriander and cardamom, this gin has strong notes of citrus and spice. The award-winning gin is best served over ice with tonic and a wedge of orange.

Cotswolds Dry Gin has been distilled with a blend of aromatic botanicals - think freshly hand-peeled grapefruit, lime and local Cotswolds lavender. The gin is made using a method called non-chill filtering, which essentially means that the oils are retained, resulting in bottles with a cloudy, pearlescent finish when mixed with tonic. The result? Not only does this look the part but tastes thoroughly delightful.

This bottle from the Isle of Wight distillery is an absolute joy to drink. It is packed with citrus fruits and uses a number of coastal botanicals, which include rock samphire and rosemary. Juniper is in the background for this drink, with a punch of grapefruit front and centre. Lovely stuff

This hand-crafted gin comes from the Scottish island of Islay. Made from 22 local herbs and flowers that have then been distilled with nine classic gin botanicals, the result is a smooth blend that’s delicious and unique to this part of the world. It’s a solid base for a gin martini but would also taste just as special if you keep things simple and pair it with a little tonic over ice.

Gin Mare is a Mediterranean gin which has one of the most unique tastes on this best gin list (in a good way!). From our taste tests, we got rosemary, thyme and basil notes, making this a savoury, earthy gin. There are pepper and olive notes, too. While a straight-up tonic tasted brilliant with Gin Mare, we also tried it with ginger ale, and the taste was exceptional.

One of the newer additions to our list, you might be surprised to learn that this is indeed a bottle of gin, not a fancy perfume or cologne. This gin was created by fashion photographer Mert Atlas, who spent years perfecting its taste. Its name comes from the fact that this gin spends 71 nights in three different oak casks. It’s incredibly expensive, but if you’re looking for a premium gin or an incredibly luxe gift, you’ve found it.

Sky Wave is a premium gin distilled in Oxfordshire. There are several varieties available, including London Dry Gin, Old Tom, and even some flavoured varieties. The key to all of them, though, is the ingredients - 13 botanicals are infused with natural mineral water from Blenheim Palace. The result is a well-balanced, smooth gin with a sweet touch. There’s a big blast of juniper in each taste - we tested the Signature London Dry Gin - which ends with a long linger of sharp citrus. If you really want to up the ante, the distiller’s Navy Strength comes in at 57% and is a recent The Gin Guide Awards winner.

Silent Pool is packed with botanicals: 24 to be precise. These include lavender, chamomile, roses, and linden. These floral notes are blended with stunning citrus flavours to create a complex, smooth-tasting gin. In fact, it’s one of the smoothest we’ve tasted, as there is a lovely honey tinge in the end notes. Given the multitude of flavours on board, we paired it with a simple Indian tonic and an orange slice to bring out the citrus notes even more. As for the bottle, it’s got pure shelf appeal and we are big fans of the glass stopper.

This one is rather special. Hernö Old Tom Gin is a sweeter gin, offering notes of coriander and juniper, complemented by a subtle honey flavour. We mixed it with a tonic and some lemon and that really enhanced the flavours on offer. The distiller, based in Sweden, has a fantastic track record for gin and you can also get Hernö as Navy Strength, traditional Dry Gin and the original Juniper Cask Gin.

Supermarket gins are often better than you might imagine, but this Aldi bottle is next-level stuff, according to the 2023 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). It awarded the gin a score of 98 out of 100. Sure, as a heavily flavoured drink, this one may not be one for the gin snobs. But if you want something tasty, hunt this one down before the hype depletes stocks. "Lip-tingling Jamaican ginger cake, heaped with a generous dollop of deliciously tart rhubarb. Superb," reads the IWSC's tasting notes.

From its fantastic bottle - we love the tartan groove - to the fact that Tulchan Gin makes use of Scottish flora, we can't get enough of this gin. It's got a brilliant whack of citrus, then a cardamom hit. It may have a floral smell, but the taste is far more intense than that. Lovely stuff.

We really like the taste of G'Vine Nouaison Gin. It's on the spicier end of the gin spectrum, so we recommend really giving your drink a taste sensation and adding this to a chilli-infused cocktail. Have it with tonic, though, and you will be rewarded with a sharp-tasting, fruit-filled gin with a rich and spicy aftertaste. If you want an extra-special treat, then get the bottle that's been matured in a cognac cask.

It's really refreshing when a coastal gin represents the sea in its taste, and this is precisely what we have with Bullards Coastal Gin. There's a slight saltiness to the smell, which is nicely mixed with woody juniper and fennel notes. All of this combines to create a well-rounded gin that pairs well with dark fruits, cutting through their sweetness. The sample we received also came with a re-fill in eco-friendly packaging that can be sent back to the distiller for recycling, which is a really nice touch.

The G'Vine Floraison Gin is a French gin which has a distinctive grape flavour. This makes it an ideal replacement for vodka in cocktails or mixers. With a tonic, you get a delicate floral finish with a hint of spice. It's definitely one for those who find juniper a little too overpowering.

Having undergone both a name and bottle makeover, the gin formerly known as Stafford Dry Gin is now back as Aval Dor Cornish Gin. This rebranding makes sense and aligns the drink more closely with Colwith Farm Distillery's award-winning vodka. Taste-wise, we are big fans. There's a real push here of citrus and juniper, with a punch of bitterness in the aftertaste. Like Warner's, the makers of this gin utilise ingredients grown on their farm in Cornwall, and it really shows in the taste. We taste-tested the original, but there is a dry gin and some flavoured gins available

We were really impressed with the taste of Cantium Gin. Distilled in Kent, the gin uses locally sourced botanicals. There's Lavender, Cobnuts, Apples, Blackberry Hops and roasted Kentish Chestnuts all in there, and it makes for a fresh, rounded taste that worked well with a cucumber-based tonic. The gin comes in a reusable flask (give it a bit of a wash first), which is a nice touch, although it is a touch more expensive than some of the others on this list.

This copper pot still gin is an absolute delight. There's a real smoothness here, which was welcomed - when we tried the gin neat - but it really came to life when we added a touch of citrus-based tonic. There's a real punch to the flavours, with lime and juniper being stand out. While we recommend Start Point, we were also lucky enough to taste-test one of the bottles from the limited-edition Voyager Series.

We rarely add a flavoured gin to our best gin list, but this is a fantastic gin from Malfy. Known for its premium gins, Malfy Gin Con Arancia boasts the distinct taste of the Amalfi coast, offering a vibrant, punchy flavour of blood orange that is complemented by a sharp, gin-like aftertaste. It's a drink to be savoured and one that demands lots of fruit, tonic and ice in the glass.

Thomas Dakin has a taste that isn't for everyone - and it's all to do with one of the 11 botanicals they use for the gin. It uses horseradish that gives the drink a savoury kick in its aftertaste. It's quite a full-flavoured drink, but mix it with something citrusy, like a bitter lemon tonic or some orange peel, and you have a lovely, flavoursome taste. Interestingly, this gin's origins are found in Warrington, but it is branded Manchester on the bottle. Given Thomas Dakin is opening up a new distillery in Manchester, we can forgive them.

This is our favourite summer gin thanks to its slight, but not intense, perfumed charm. A self-consciously ‘old-school’ gin (despite being first created in 1990), distiller Martin Miller wanted to make a gin that “tasted of gin” and not, in his words, “of some highly flavoured confection”. Distilled in the Black Country from ten botanicals, Miller’s is blended with Icelandic water to a simple, stunning effect.

The branding says it’s floral; most reviews say it’s perhaps too perfumey, but we weren’t getting that. Not in a sickly way, anyway. Deliciously citrus, it’s easy on the juniper, making it an excellent gin for non-gin-loving gin drinkers. And we realise how odd that sounds. Essentially, if you want to start an evening with a gin, this is the one.

We first heard about Colonsay Cait Sith (pronounced Caught Shee) on World Gin Day. Since then, we have been sent a bottle, and it deserves to be on this list. It's a Scottish gin that's Old Tom style (which is sweeter than a London dry variety), so it's less about the Botanics and more about the orange, pink grapefruit and vanilla taste. It's a really refreshing gin that we had with tonic and lots of ice. It also has one of the nicest bottles we have seen, so if you are all about the shelf appeal, then this is the gin for you.

It was only right that No.3 made our list after winning the International Spirits Challenge ‘Best in Class’ gin trophy four times - along with another 20 awards since 2010. The main flavours in this ‘world-class’ spirit are the classic gin botanicals of juniper, citrus and spice. That means that its crisp, 'zingy' taste is followed by the warmth of cardamom and a final dryness from angelica. Best served with tonic, a big wedge of grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary.

You might not be surprised to hear Brockmans Intensely Smooth is… intensely smooth. Like having George Clooney pull out your chair and light you a cigarette… only a gin. Made with Bulgarian coriander, blueberries, blackberries, and bittersweet Valencia orange peels, the result is a gin bursting with flavour that doesn’t forgo balance for punch.

This is the ultimate tonic partner, featuring flavours of juniper, apple, and elderflower alongside subtle citrus notes. Some serve with a slice of fresh apple but we like it just the way it is. The finished gin is distilled over 100 times, with the entire process taking over two years, from orchard to bottle. You can genuinely taste the effort that goes into it. And it is 48% you can taste the booze that goes into it. Treat it with care.

This Scottish gin is “powered by the spirit of the Picts” - an ancient tribe that once settled near the distillery’s home (because, of course, it is). The gin contains 16 botanicals that Greenwood Distillery believes the Picts could have encountered. Citric Pomelo and Kaffir Lime give it a fresh, citrus flavour, complemented by a floral bouquet from Oolong tea, chamomile, and lavender.

Made in the heart of London at the Kennington distillery using a recipe that took eighteen months to develop, Beefeater 24 includes Seville orange peel, lemon peel, bitter almond, angelica root, angelica seed, juniper, liquorice, orris root, coriander, and a blend of Chinese green and Japanese sencha teas with grapefruit peel. What does that mean? Well, it means a liquorice-influenced finish means that you won’t forget drinking it. Save until late in the evening.

Handcrafted in small batches at Balmenach Distillery in Scotland’s Speyside region, Caorunn is an unusually herbal experience thanks to its use of Rowan Berry. The well-balanced fruity flavours of the gin make it exceedingly drinkable: dry and crisp when neat, use tonic sparingly so as not to lose its subtle notes.