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The best sloe gins
It's fun making your own sloe gin, but there are some great ones on the market to try, too. From supermarket favourites to small craft distilleries, there are so many to try, at a variety of price points. Here are our favourites...
We love sloe gin, and it's most certainly an underrated drink. Rich berry red in colour and sweet to taste, sloe gin is the perfect winter warming tipple when the weather starts to turn a little nippier.
Made with gin and sloe drupes, a small fruit that has a sharp, sour taste, you can drink sloe gin neat, as a hot toddy, with ice and ginger ale, or even in a shot of Prosecco.
In what is our biggest gin test to date, our expert panel put sloe gin to the test. Tasting them completely blind, each sample was tested neat, and then again, diluted with a small amount of water. This was to ensure the flavour was not impaired by any mixer.
Here are the winners of the Good Housekeeping Sloe Gin Taste Test...
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WINNER: Mother's Ruin - Best sloe gin
This East London-based distillery was the winner of our sloe gin taste test. Using ingredients foraged from in and around East London and Essex, we loved its sweetness and smooth texture. Flavours of citrus peel, burnt sugar, liquorice and dark berries all shone through, too, and the finish on this gin is long, while the aftertaste is warm and smooth.
Score: 79/100
BUY NOW £31, Mother's Ruin
RUNNER UP: Tesco Finest* Sloe Gin
This gin was applauded for its sweet aroma and pleasant berry and currant tastes. Many noted flavours of marzipan, jam and even a hint of honey. The juniper flavours could be stronger, but testers were happy with the pleasurable warmth and texture.
Score: 77/100
BUY NOW £17, Tesco
Marks & Spencer Sloe Gin
Aromas of jammy raisins and flavours of currants, blackberries and stewed fruits, Marks & Spencer's sloe gin offering has a pleasant taste. Testers particularly loved the sweet, smooth texture and integrated alcohol.
Score: 73/100
RRP £15, available in-store only
Ableforth Bathtub Sloe Gin
An enjoyable gin, testers liked the prominent fruity, berry flavours, describing this sloe gin as “warming and syrupy.” Light in acidity, and with a decent linger of taste and warmth.
Score: 72/100
BUY NOW £25.95, Amazon
City of London Sloe Gin
This gin reminded some of our testers of cherry bakewell, with many enjoying its fresh forest fruit qualities. The heat of the alcohol was a bit too prominent for some, however, but overall it was found to have an enjoyable, smooth texture.
72/100
BUY NOW £29.95, The Whisky Exchange
Warner's Harrington Sloe Gin
Complex and sweet, the texture of this gin is smooth and warming, with the juniper-led gin flavours, and the sloe and blackberry flavours marrying well. The finish wasn’t as long as some of the other gins', but its smoothness makes up for this.
72/100
BUY NOW £26.83, Amazon
Gordon's Sloe Gin
This sloe gin has a nice drying texture and spice, but could do with a little less kick from the alcohol. Our testers enjoyed the prominent berry flavours, describing it as having a subtle yet complex profile.
67/100
BUY NOW £18, Tesco
Sipsmith Sloe Gin
Warming and spicy, this sloe gin is pleasant with a medium-sweet taste. The sloe berry sweetness and juniper gin flavours could be more married but the overall taste was satisfying.
65/100
BUY NOW £24.59
Vicky is our Food & Drink Director, where she oversees strategy and content across all of Hearst's brands, from recipe development to fun video franchises and everything in between.
With almost a decade's experience, Vicky was previously Editor of Delish UK, and Digital Food Editor of Good Housekeeping and she lives and breathes food content creation.
Outside of work, Vicky loves learning about wine, eating her way around the world, and hanging out with her dog Pickle.
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