There are thousands of gins in our range, so when it comes to finding the right bottle to impress even the most discerning of gin drinkers, where to begin? Understanding your recipient’s preferences alongside the nuances that distinguish one bottle from another can greatly enhance the gifting experience. Here are some of the most important factors to consider:
Juniper, the crucial ingredient
The key to the character of any gin is its botanicals and flavours. Juniper is the defining ingredient, but there are lists of other traditional botanicals like coriander, citrus peels, and cinnamon, as well as more exotic choices like lavender, and tropical fruits. While some gins offer a balanced botanical mix, others will highlight a specific note. If your pal likes their gin with lemonade, why not try out a gin with generous portions of citrus in its botanical list or even one that’s been infused with fruit for flavour? Are florals more of their thing? You’ll find plenty of options from elderflower to violet, and beyond.
There are several categories of gin, and each carries a unique profile. These are worth considering when buying a gift, and can help you in the right direction to match the tastes of the recipient. Try and pay attention to what they order at bars, or sneak a little look at their spirits cabinet to gain some valuable clues that’ll head you in the right direction.
First of all, London Dry Gin doesn’t have to be made in London, instead, it’s a style that has a legal definition in the UK and EU. The gin must be made by distilling natural botanicals with neutral alcohol, with no flavours or sweeteners added after distillation. This is what you can consider the most classic, traditional style of gin, with a clean, crisp, juniper-forward profile. If you’re buying for someone who usually opts for the likes of Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Gordon’s, or Beefeater, or anyone that enjoys a classic G&T or Dry Martini, this is a perfect category to explore, with countless producers great and small distilling gin that’s ideal for all the classic serves.
The Botanist Bramble & Rosemary Gin & Tonic
Produced at Bruichladdich, The Botanist describes itself as an Islay dry gin, but boasts a classic London dry style. It’s produced with a huge 31 botanicals, 22 of which are native to the Scottish island. It’s hugely characterful, with generous notes of citrus, spice, resinous juniper, and floral herbs.
A brilliantly versatile offering made in the London dry style by industry veterans Berry Bros. & Rudd. Crisp juniper boldly takes centre stage here, supported by waves of grapefruit zest, coriander, cardamom, and peppery warmth.
All hail the juniper berry! Celebrating the champion of the botanical world in all its glory, Sipsmith V.J.O.P (which of course stands for “Very Junipery Over Proof”) is jam-packed with the fresh, peppery berries. The stills in the header are from the Sipsmith distillery in London.
There are other varieties of dry gin, legally categorised as “distilled gin” and “gin”, which are produced in a similar way, but can have flavourings added post-distillation. Sometimes referred to as compound gins, botanicals are allowed to macerate and infuse in neutral spirit, with juniper, as always, taking centre stage.
A classic example here, Bathtub gin is made using traditional cold compounding, infusing botanicals such as juniper, orange peel, coriander, cassia, cloves and cardamom, with the length of the compounding period controlled entirely by periodic sampling. Makes a tremendous Negroni.
These are gins that have had something added to them post-distillation, usually fruit, and sometimes a spot of sugar for sweetening. They’re a great option for people who enjoy a particular flavour profile.
From Kyrö in Finland, this delicate pink gin is made from a rye-based spirit, infused with foraged strawberries, lingonberries, and rhubarb. With an elegantly creamy texture, and soft, summery fruits alongside oily juniper and herbaceous spice, this is a refined expression that’ll add a fruity lift to your tonic.
Inspired by a 140-year-old recipe from its founder Charles Tanqueray, this edition from the big-name producer showcases all the zesty tang of Seville oranges. Perfect for anyone who likes their citrus fruit, and a refreshing treat with tonic, lemonade or soda in the summertime.
Take your tonic to the tropics with this exotic offering from Stonewall, which combines a blend of mango and passion fruit with London dry gin.
Would you prefer a stroll through a Cornish orchard? This crisp, golden, and delicious offering from Tarquin’s ought to excite the sort of gin drinker who also loves a good farm shop.
Those with a particularly sweet tooth might enjoy an Old Tom, it’s a traditional style of gently sweetened gin that mixes perfectly with lemon juice in a Tom Collins and can bring a superb balance to the bitter component in classic cocktails like a Martinez.
From Swedish producer Hernö, this lip-smacking Old Tom Gin follows the same recipe as its Dry Gin, but they’ve dialled up the amount of meadowsweet used and rounded it off with a touch of honey and sugar after distillation.
From the tropics of Aberdeen! Porter’s has subverted the typical perception of Scottish gin by adding cold-distilled botanicals of passion fruit, guava and white tea to a classic, juniper-forward Old Tom style gin.
This expression was inspired by a style of gin produced over 100 years ago, featuring maple syrup as a botanical! A great twist for cocktails.
These are sloes
Made by steeping gin with sloe berries and usually sugar, sloe gin is the most famous variety of gin liqueur. Sloes, also known as blackthorn, are a kind of wild plum, imparting rich, unctuous dark fruit character to the spirit. These are a cracking choice to pop in a hip flask if you’re off for a country walk, and also work brilliantly dashed in lemonade.
German gin producer Monkey 47 infuses its classic gin with Black Forest sloes, allowing them to macerate for three months. The rich dark fruit brings a satisfying tangy sweet balance to the resinous botanicals at its core.
There’s tonnes of character in Bathtub Gin’s Sloe offering, thanks to almost half a pound of sloes for each bottle produced! Try a splash of this instead of the Maraschino in your Martinez, it won’t disappoint.
Gin maturing in casks
Its popularity is on the rise, and rightly so – cask-aged gin does exactly what it says on the tin, with producers resting their spirit in a variety of casks, in a similar way that you might see whiskies finished. This is a hugely intriguing category, providing a fascinating insight into the relationship between botanicals and oak, and the influence of different types of cask, from first-fill oak to sherry, Port, and even Islay whisky. A great one to explore for any adventurous drinkers and cocktail creators, neat sippers, and those who also enjoy aged spirits like brandy and whisky.
MoM Towers has the fortune of housing plenty of gin, and plenty of casks, so it makes sense that we’ve been combining the two and bottling up our own cask-aged batches for a while now. This one spent four years in a bourbon cask, and it’s an incredibly versatile expression whether you’re sipping neat, or taking your cocktails to the next level.
This flavoursome offering from Salcombe Distilling Co. sees a pink gin produced using a bespoke recipe featuring the likes of sloes, damsons, rose, orange peel treated to a rest in a cask that previously held 1997 vintage Niepoort Colheita tawny Port. A decadent delight.
Columbian producer Dictador is best known for making rum, but its former president Dario Parra picked up a taste for gin on a visit to the UK and decided to create his own. Then rested it in rum barrels. Obviously.
Finishing up with a most unusual offering from the clever gang at Audemus in France. This spirit has been made using a Sicilian caper distillate as well as an infusion of Parmigiano-Reggiano Italian parmesan cheese, along with juniper and other botanicals. Following that, it rested in an ex-Cognac cask for several months before bottling. Intriguingly savoury, as you would expect from the name.
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