The Best Gin In The World:Top 10 Chosen Brands

While Gin comes from numerous sources, the predominant use of juniper berries is its defining feature in most outstanding gin brands. Nevertheless, other sources in the production of Gin include a variety of fruits, grains, grapes, and potatoes along with botanicals that give it its distinctive taste.

Gin has been around for several centuries as a descendant of the Dutch liquor jenever. However, it has experienced a rebirth in recent years from the nickname ‘Mother’s Ruin’ that it once carried. 

Whether you use it with your martini recipe or enjoy drinking it neat, Gin is a perfect choice for you. So, ensure that you have some of the best gin brands ready in stock for use.

And if you’re opening a bar, make sure to include a popular gin brand in your barback and keep it stocked at all times. 

Let’s get into this informative article and explore the top 10 Gin brands in the world for now.

The Top 10 Gin Brands in the World

While some gins taste good on the rocks, others make pair extremely well with your favorite mixer. With consideration for flavor and overall quality here is a list of the top 10 gin brands from our selection. 

So make it a point to add a few of these to your shopping list when you’re ready to make some all-season refreshing cocktails.

  • Beefeater: Dating back to the 1860s, this is a classic example of the London Dry Gin brand. The traditional recipe of Beefeater blends juniper and citrus for optimal flavoring. The flavor of the spirit is effectively enhanced with botanicals steeped in neutral grain spirit for 24 hours prior to the distillation process. Using the same recipe since its inception, Beefeater has stood up to the test of time. Featuring a flavor dominated by juniper, Beefeater makes it better for a mixed cocktail drink than just sipping it neat. Beefeater 24, in addition to the classic Beefeater Gin brand, contains additional botanicals like Chinese green tea and Japanese sencha. However, try to pick up a bottle of Beefeater Pink for its fruity notes if you’re a fan of strawberries.
  • Bombay Sapphire: It is a smooth gin that’s based on one of the world’s oldest gin recipes. Bombay Sapphire was the world’s first distilled brand by London Dry Gin to use a unique vapor-infusion process. This gives it a lively blend of almond, juniper, and licorice along with several other additional botanicals as well. Bombay Sapphire provides an excellent mixable quality alongside an aromatic taste to go with the right balance of flavors. It makes for an excellent option to be included in several popular cocktails. Bombay Sapphire is also reasonably priced. Additionally, this qualifies it as a great inclusion in your list of home bar essentials.
  • Gordon’s Gin: This is yet another brand of London Dry Gin. Gordon’s Gin was first produced in 1769 and which was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway. It was also included in ‘Casino Royale’ in James Bond’s Vesper cocktail. Alongside providing good value for your money Gordon’s Gin is a straightforward and affordable spirit having assertive notes of juniper along with garden herbs. It uses black pepper to balance the flavor. It is perfect for many popular cocktail recipes. The oldest bars in America during the late 18th century made it a point to stock them.
  • Hendrick’s Gin: This Gin brand is hand-crafted in the town of Girvan located on the southwest coast of Scotland. In order to ensure that each batch meets the high standards of the company, they only make 500 liters of the spirit at any given point in time. The inventor of Hendrick’s Gin is Lesley Gracie. And the Master Distiller personally ensures that her product comes through the highest quality of distillation. This marvelous Gin brand uses a blend of eleven botanicals including roses. The essential juniper and cucumbers are also a part of the spirit. Hendrick’s is an ideal Gin that is most often used for crafting cocktail drinks. However, it is pricier than most other gin brands on the shelf. Nevertheless, along with its exhilarating taste, Hendrick’s Gin is worth the return on every penny you spend.
  • Nolet’s Gin: This Gin brand comes from Holland. The country where Nolet’s predecessor jenever was distilled is the birthplace of Gin. It is the location where this distillery has been producing various types of alcohol since the 1690s. Along with Ketel One Vodka which is considered to be the most profitable spirit in the market. Nolet’s Silver Gin brand was launched just a few years ago. This variant veers away from the heavy characteristics of classic juniper. It features fruity and sweet notes from peach, raspberry, and Turkish rose. Nolet’s Reserve has flavors of saffron and verbena if you are interested in splurging a bit. This spirit is designed for sipping instead of adding to cocktails.
  • Plymouth Gin: This Gin brand, since the late 18th century, has been produced at the historic Black Friars Distillery. The botanical mixture of Plymouth Gin contains lemon peel, along with juniper, and angelica root–three classic gin staples. Plymouth is a simple yet flavorful liquor that works well for most gin cocktails. With a high 57% ABV alcohol content, the Plymouth Gin Navy Strength variant has been associated with the British Royal Navy for nearly over 200 years now. This clear spirit brings out various botanical flavors, along with citrus and juniper. The high ABV content may be a bit too intense for beginners with gin notwithstanding its smooth sipping quality.
  • Roku Japanese Gin: Roku in Japanese meaning ‘six,’ is the modern embodiment of Suntory’s mastery of the gin-making process. This brand comes from the House of Suntory in Osaka, Japan, which dates back to the 1930s. Roku Japanese Gin combines six Japanese cocktail ingredients including green tea, gyokuro tea, Sakura flower, sansho pepper, and yuzu. Each of these six botanicals give the spirit its name and is harvested in its ideal season. To ensure freshness and optimal flavor, these herbs are also sourced from the best-growing areas in Japan. Moreover, these core six herbs also mix very well with the eight traditional gin botanicals including angelica root, angelica seed, bitter orange peel, cardamom seed, cinnamon, coriander seed, lemon peel, and juniper berries. To bring out the best in each botanical, a multiple distillation procedure is used to give Roku an authentic gin taste.
  • Tanqueray: This is one of the best-selling gin brands worldwide. Recognized for its iconic green bottle, Tanqueray is also a superb example of London Dry Gin. It offers an ideal blend of angelica, coriander, licorice, and juniper. To ensure a dry, crisp taste, this clear spirit goes through distillation four times. Before you go for it, make sure that you know how to hold a wine glass. Then pour some Gin over a generous amount of ice.  Don’t forget to add a premium tonic and garnish it with a lime wedge for that perfect gin and tonic recipe. Check out Tanqueray Rangpur as well. It takes its name from the highlights of the Indian lime. Tanqueray Ten is another variant modern gin variant with white grapefruit notes, lime, and orange.
  • The Botanist: Located on the remote Scottish island of Islay, this gin brand is produced at the Bruichladdich Distillery which was built in 1881 by Robert Harvey and William John brothers. This region is well known for its peated single malt scotches. The Botanist Islay Dry Gin uses 22 different botanicals found here. The clear spirit of The Botanist includes heather, meadowsweet, and juniper. Offering an ideal balance between floral and dry pine characteristics along with fruit elements, The Botanist makes for a perfect gin that is most often used for assembling complex cocktails.
  • Sipsmith Gin: This brand is relatively new to the gin scene. However, it has made a big splash in a short amount of time. Sipsmith in 2009 was distilled on a copper still. Like it was done the first time in London two centuries ago. It features a mixture of classic botanicals that include angelica, coriander, and licorice along with a base spirit of wheat. Sipsmith Gin is produced with just one round of distillation. It means that it is diluted with water and not a neutral spirit. The distinctive taste of Sipsmith features orange blossom notes along with honey. It adds piney juniper with slight hints of angelica root musk and licorice. This Gin brand represents a modern take on the concept of London Dry Gin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What mixes well with Gin?

There are a variety of options and other ingredients that mix well with your gin. Some people prefer vermouth. Others fondly add their favorite soda water to their favorite Gin brand. Here is a short list of eight mixers that fuse well with gin:

  • Cucumber
  • Flavored Seltzer
  • Grapefruit
  • Lime
  • Pineapple Juice
  • Soda water
  • Tonic
  • Vermouth

Which was the first Gin ever made?

It is believed that Franciscus Sylvius is the inventor of gin. He was a Dutch physician who prescribed a juniper-based distilled spirit for medicinal purposes in 1550. The English first encountered Gin during the Thirty Years’ War when they were battling Spain in Holland. Portraying Gin as the original ‘Dutch Courage,’ they drank it to calm their nerves before proceeding into battle.

What are the most popular Gin brands across the world?

The top five of the most popular gin brands across the world in recent times are as follows:

  • Beefeater
  • Bombay Sapphire
  • Ginebra San Miguel
  • Gordon’s
  • Tanqueray