Top 10 Best Gin Brands In The World

1. Hendrick’s Gin [Best Value Gin]

Launched in 1999, Hendrick’s Gin is produced by William Grant & Sons. Indeed, Hendrick’s Gin is among our favourites thanks to its unique botanical blend of 11 herbs and spices including lemon peel, chamomile, and caraway seeds.

Master Distiller Lesley Gracie was inspired by quintessentially English imagery of rose gardens and cucumber sandwiches to create the first concoction. As a result, Hendrick’s original marketing and distillation techniques are largely credited to the recent gin boom by renewing interest in the spirit.

2. Beefeater [Best London Dry Gin]

A celebrated classic and exemplary London Dry Gin, Beefeater has been in production since 1863. Although it was acquired from the Borough family in 1987, the brand continues to use their original formula.

Featuring a rich selection of botanicals that include lemon peel, coriander seed, almonds, Seville orange peel, orris root, liquorice, and angelica, it’s no wonder that Beefeater claims to be the world’s most awarded gin.

Today, Beefeater Gin is owned by Pernod Ricard, which has developed the distillery to offer a visitor’s centre and guided tours. Despite its modernisation, the brand hasn’t lost sight of its roots and produces what we believe is the best value London Dry gin on the market.

3. Citadelle Gin [Best French Gin]

In the Cognac region of Charente, the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) enforced strict regulations that prevented the use of the pot stills for seven months of the year.

After years of negotiations, Maison Ferrand’s Alexandre Gabriel obtained the unprecedented authorisation to use their stills to make gin. Therefore, Citadelle was born in 1996 and produced gin between April and October outside of the cognac season.

Furthermore, their distillation process is unique and was even patented in 2018. Rather than adopt existing models, the distillery sought a progressive infusion method in order to capture the unique flavour of no less than 18 botanicals.

Finally, the French “château” philosophy has motivated Citadelle grow its own juniper. This is actually a relatively recent venture and the first trees were planted on the ground’s of Maison Ferrand’s Château de Bonbonnet in 2017.

4. Gin Lane 1751 [Best Old Tom Gin]

Gin Lane 1751 was founded by drinks industry veterans and members of the Bloomsbury Club. Their objective was to recreate historically accurate traditional London gins of the Victorian era.

As described in our introductory guide, Old Tom was a precursor to London Dry gin that faded into obscurity by the 20th Century. Thanks to the Gin Boom of recent years, Old Tom has started to return.

A smooth an very enjoyable variety, Gin Lane 1751’s Old Tom is an excellent specimen. With the presence of refined sugar and a larger quantity of star anise, the blend is balanced and full in flavour without being overly sweet.

5. Bombay Sapphire East [Vapour Distilled]

Like Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire is a renowned gin brand. However, it’s much younger and was only introduced in 1986 before the contemporary Gin Boom. Nevertheless, it’s often credited to gin’s brief renaissance during the late 1980s and early ’90s.

We’re particularly fond of the relatively new East blend that was released a few years ago. Like the original Bombay Sapphire, it features a rich selection of botanicals that impart their flavours through vapour infusion.

However, the East blend also boasts Thai lemongrass and black peppercorns from Vietnam. The result is a more exotic and bracing flavour, that goes well with refreshing cocktails.

6. Plymouth Gin [Best Navy Strength Gin]

We’ve already explored Plymouth Distillery’s historical relationship with the British Navy. Therefore, it should be no surprise that their recent Navy Strength gin release should be featured among our favourites.

An excellent choice for mixing, Plymouth Navy Strength can take a lot of punishment without losing its edge. An excellent alternative to London Dry gins, it offers a more balanced and subtle character with any cocktail.

7. Dorothy Parker [Best American Gin]

We were indeed thrilled to discover Dorothy Parker gin from the New York Distilling Company in Brooklyn. A versatile American gin, it pays homage to classic gin while providing a contemporary twist.

Dorothy Parker features a heady blast of juniper but is packed with a variety of botanicals. Cinnamon and cardamom play significant roles while elderberry and citrus provide a refreshing finish.

8. Citadelle Réserve [Best Barrel-Aged Gin]

Barrel ageing gin is a somewhat unique and original experience that borrows from the art of whisky blending with an added twist. Today, there are a variety of brands that have reintroduced the practice. However, Citadelle was arguably the first to bring it into the 21st Century.

Starting as a family experiment in 2008, Alexandre Gabriel sought to create a new and exciting flavour profile that was previously unknown in the gin industry. To perfect his recipe, he added three new botanicals: yuzu, genepi, and bleuet (cornflower).

The resulting spirit is then aged for only five months in a variety of wood barrels, which include Acacia, Mulberry, Cherry, Chestnut and French Oak. Once it has aged, it is then carefully blended into an eight-foot, egg-shaped wooden vat.

What’s unique about this final casking is that the giant vat exploits the natural convection to improve the marrying of flavours. Currently, Citadelle is the only French house to employ this technique, which results in a herbaceous and zesty gin with notes of tobacco and green tea.

9. Nikka Coffey [Best Japanese Gin]

Named after Nikka’s Coffey stills in their younger Miyagikyo Distillery that was built in 1967, the gin uses the continuous still method in order to provide more grain flavour.

Nikka’s gin features 11 botanicals such as Yuzu, Kabosu, Amanatsu and Shequasar, which each provide an original expression of Japan’s gastronomical culture that complement traditional gin ingredients.

Consequently, the gin features a surprisingly fruit-forward character with notes of apples and tangy Japanese citrus. If you’re fond of Nikka’s whisky, then their gin is well worth trying.

10. Malfy Gin Con Limone [Best Citrus Gin]

Torini Distillati is a family-owned distillery that was founded in 1906. Today, it is run by Carlos Vergnano with his wife, Piera, as well as thie children Rita and Valter. Meanwhile, their master distillers are Beppe Ronco and Denis Muni.

Contrary to popular belief as we outlined in this guide, Malfy claims that Italian monks had been distilling juniper-based medicinal spirits as far back as 1050. Therefore, they assert that Italy is its country of origin as opposed to Holland.

Whatever the case, their gin is nothing short of magnificent. We’re particularly fond of their one-of-a-kind gin “Con Limone”, which is distilled with Italian juniper and Sfusato lemon peels from the Amalfi coast. The result is a rich and zesty palate with accompanying notes of anise and coriander.

If you’re looking to craft a summery G&T, this would likely be our first pick!