You cannot miss Bombay Sapphire on the liquor shelf. Its blue bottle has an allure that will catch your eye, though the gin itself is not blue—look to Magellan Gin for that. While many of your favorite gins likely come from England, America’s distilling scene is having a gin moment. Homegrown producers are re-envisioning London dry and Old Tom gin with an American lean, highlighting locally sourced, all-American botanicals. Case in point: Gray Whale Gin, a California-based gin brand that sources ingredients from the West Coast, including Baja limes, Sonoma fir, wild-foraged sea kelp from the shores of Mendocino, and almonds from Central California.

Gin Shelf - Etsy UK

With their bespoke bottle launching in the summer of 2020, The Pentland Still Distillery made a significant investment in their brand. For a small distillery, it shouldn’t go understated. To taste, and I found myself gasping for air on initial sip. WOWZERS! It is all encompassing – like being engulfed in the namesake waves, drowning in flavour (in the very best possible way!). I couldn’t have anticipated that it would take me over two years to get better acquainted with the brand…but curiosity had definitely gotten the better of me!Taking the Drovers Gin as a base to work from (and what a base to work from!), the Navy expression amps up the flagships ABV to a meaty 57%. By the time we’d realised what was going on, he was already on his hind legs and enjoying a feast of epic carb loading proportions! And whilst he may have been living his best life momentarily, you could rest assured he would be spending the rest of the evening in the ‘dog house’ (in the very literal sense)!

Best Gin Brands In The World - Luxe Digital Sipping Guide To The Best Gin Brands In The World - Luxe Digital

Its focus is on using local botanicals to create a smooth, enjoyable drink in the form of its Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Japanese Gin. This gin wasn’t available internationally until 2017, but its release was well worth the wait. It uses a spirit base distilled from rice combined with juniper, yellow yuzu, hinoki (cypress) wood chips, bamboo, gyokuro tea, and green sanshō (Japanese peppercorn).There’s a strong sense of piney juniper that underpins the spirit, giving a reassuringly classic finish to the gin. The alcohol seems to carry a slight sting of white pepper, that indicates a dry warmth that feels far superior to its fairly modest 40% ABV. Before we jump into the world of gin, find out more about the terminology you should know about gin and our selection process for drawing up the best gin brands of the year. The best gin brands Rank As previously mentioned, I wouldn’t usually advise drinking liquids from unmarked bottles. But when the contents is this delicious I make an exception…

Wee Farm Distillery; Small by name, big - The Gin Shelf The Wee Farm Distillery; Small by name, big - The Gin Shelf

Aviation's choice of a rye base gives this gin a creamier mouthfeel than most gins. It is a gin that you can enjoy chilled on its own, which is great news for super dry martini fans. Perhaps that’s because those behind the brand message love their job and know they’ve got a great product. While almost certainly the case, it’s probably more a symptom of the core values and ethos instilled from the outset. This is a distillery for the entire community. Able to sleep 6, with a wood burning stove for the cold winters & a private hot tub area, this really is the crown jewel to the teams armoury that will no doubt attract visitors to keep the calendar full all year round.

A simple glance at the bottle is enough to recognise that this is going to be something special. Though in a juxtaposition to the power of the liquid within, the subtle and calming colour scheme and pretty pink cherry blossom punctuations across the label could lull you in to a false sense of the demure. But twist the bottle around to its naked side, and you’ll reveal the stunning artwork hidden on the reverse of the label. The dragon emerging from the fierce waters gives a stronger indication of what lays in wait…