Here at Good Housekeeping, we've always been a big fan of the juniper-based spirit. From classic London dry gins to on-trend pink and flavoured styles, the market has never offered so many options. With that in mind, what are the best gin bottles out there?
In our big gin taste test, the Good Housekeeping Institute put the spirit to the test across three key gin categories. Each sample was tested blind and neat, and then again diluted with a small amount of water. This was to ensure that the flavour was not impaired by any mixer or brand bias.
Over a series of taste tests, our experts sipped their way through over 100 bottles, testing across classic, flavoured, and pink gin varieties. From longstanding big brand names to independent craft gin distillers, we ensured we tested them all.
CLASSIC DRY GIN
Classic York Gin and trendy East London Liquor jointly took the top spot in this category. The former celebrates 18th century botanicals, while the latter is a super-smooth gin with notes of coriander seeds, angelica root, cardamom, cubeb berries and a zingy lemon and grapefruit peel burst.
BUY NOW £35.45, Master of Malt (89/100)
BUY NOW £20.99, Amazon (89/100)
Read on for our full list of GHI-approved classic dry gin.
FLAVOURED GIN
It was a three-way tie for top spot in the flavoured gin category, between Beefeater, Silent Pool and Hendricks' limited-edition Flora Adora.
The Beefeater Peach and Raspberry Gin has a distinct bubblegum sweetness with notes of ripe peach. It's seriously smooth and easy to drink, simply top with tonic and finish with a raspberry and peach slice garnish.
Made in Surrey, Silent Pool uses rare citrus fruits sourced from across the globe, and our panel was full of praise for the combination of yuzu and pomelo, and lingering citrus finish. Paired with Campari and vermouth, this would make an exceptional negroni.
And as the name suggests, Hendricks impressed testers with this aromatic, floral creation. The perfect serve for Spring.
BUY NOW £20.95, The Whisky Exchange (90/100)
BUY NOW £35.99, Amazon (90/100)
BUY NOW £36.25, The Whisky Exchange (90/100)
Read on for our full list of GHI-approved flavoured gin.
PINK GIN
Scoring the highest out of all the categories was Malfy Gin Rosa (91/100); a pink gin that stood out above the rest for its pronounced freshness.
Distilled in Italy, botanicals include Sicilian pink grapefruit, rhubarb and coriander, while the flavour was fruity, intense and, according to our panel, just like “biting into a fresh grapefruit.” We’re sold.
BUY NOW £26.49, Amazon (91/100)
Read on for our full list of GHI-approved pink gin.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
