The Best Gin, According to Our Taste Test

Gin is a spirit for all seasons. In warm weather it’s the floral anchor to a fizzing gin and tonic, and when temperatures drop, you can always curl up with a straight-to-the-point gin martini. Whatever your mood and whatever the weather, gin is prepared to star in your favorite cocktail.

With roots that date back to the 13th century, gin and similar juniper-based spirits are some of the oldest distillates on record. Modern gin as we know it today evolved from Dutch genever, which, by the 17th century, was made as a distillation of juniper and malt wine. According to some accounts, the English saw the Dutch drinking genever to boost morale during the Thirty Years’ War and brought gin making to their home country. The spirit caught on across England, particularly after the English government introduced legislation in the 17th century that made gin distilling more profitable in an effort to compete with imported French brandy.

Now, gin is synonymous with the UK, but today gin makers the world over are distilling the spirit. The spirit is beloved, and rightfully so, for its versatility. Zesty juniper-forward versions soar in a classic Negroni, floral gins impress in a rosy gin-kombucha cocktail, and unctuous savory gin is indelible in a 50/50 martini.

But with so many brands to choose from, which gin is best? We put 10 broadly available gins through a blind taste test to find our favorites.

There are innumerable gins on the market today, and while we adore independent spirit makers, we focused this taste test on gins that we knew would be available to most of our readers. To that end, we selected products that have national (and, usually, international) distribution. We stayed away from flavored gins or variations like sloe gin.

We also put a price cap on the gins we considered: Each 750-ml bottle had to be less than $40. Those more expensive gins, we reasoned, are sometimes harder to find. That meant excluding high-end favorites like Monkey 47, which exceeded our price cap.

Gins typically have a lot going on: light floral notes, ringing herbaceous qualities, and piney juniper bursts in each sip. In order to zero in on the interplay of those aromas and flavors, we tasted each gin on its own. Each gin was anonymized before tasters sniffed and then sampled approximately a tablespoon, one after another, sometimes going back to retaste particularly complex entries.

In our taste test, we used fluted Glencairn glasses, whose unique shape helps trap a spirit’s heady aromas.

Your preference in gin is like a fingerprint—totally unique to you. While some people prefer an earthy, herbal gin, others want a bright piney spirit, while still others want something delicate and floral. Our tasters’ palates were just as varied. To make sure we found the best gin for every taste, we named a winner in each category as well as a best in show—something of a Goldilocks pick.

On the other hand, we knew that features like harsh astringency or a candied sweetness would result in disqualification.

Plymouth is a special type of British gin, which was first made in the Black Friars Distillery in Plymouth, England, centuries ago. It’s one of the oldest spirits distilled in the UK, today owned by spirits giant Pernod Ricard and, as a result, widely distributed.

Why it won us over: Plymouth stood out from the pack because of its supremely considered structure—that is, to say, the way its herbal notes circled the savory ones, which played nicely with the gin's citrusy flavors. Senior culinary producer Mallary Santucci praised a lightly peppery note, while associate manager of audience strategy Carly Westerfield was delighted by the citrus peel. Still others detected an earthy mineral flavor. With a little something for everyone, the group agreed that Plymouth gin was the overall favorite.

We’d love it in: a white Negroni or something slightly more involved, like an arugula gimlet.

The best herb-forward gin: Roku Gin

Produced in Osaka by spirits powerhouse House of Suntory, Roku gin is made with six distinct Japanese botanicals, including cherry tree blossoms and leaves, two types of green tea, and sansho pepper. These more unique additions appear alongside some expected additions like juniper, of course, as well as cinnamon and dried lemon peel.

Why it won us over: Although it displayed a zingy lemon aroma on the nose, as senior commerce editor Noah Kaufman pointed out, Roku gin tasted particularly herbaceous. Senior SEO and cooking editor Joe Sevier cited its strong anise flavor, which, he said, was complemented by a coriander flavor. After all those swaggering herbal notes faded, tasters said Roku finished with breezy floral qualities—lavender and rose. “Put this on a big ice cube and call it a day,” declared director of cooking Emma Laperruque.

We’d love it in: Stanley Tucci’s iconic extra-dry martini with a twist.

The best citrus-forward gin: Stratusphere Gin

You might know Stratusphere as New Amsterdam—the company recently rebranded—and you might recognize its blocky bottle from your local dive. This is all to say (lovingly) that it’s known to be on the lower end of the price scale. That said, an, ahem, more accessible gin can still be great. Plus, as one of the more affordably priced gins on our list, Stratusphere’s got some bang for your buck.

Why it won us over: Citrus! Tons of it! Joe said Stratusphere gin smelled like Froot Loops (a feature or a bug, depending on what you want from your cocktail), but other tasters mentioned aromas like orange peel and grapefruit zest. Those citrusy flavors continued on the palate with hefty punches of grapefruit, and even, less aggressively, green apple. Stratusphere was sweeter than other gins we tried, and no, it didn’t necessarily taste nimble or light, but the bright citrus flavor was pleasant in every sip.

We’d love it in: a cocktail in which those big citrus flavors can flourish, like a French 75 or, perhaps, a frozen Negroni.

The best earthy, savory gin: Ford’s Gin

Distilled by veteran barman Simon Ford, Ford’s Gin is probably your favorite bartender’s favorite gin. Scanning through the botanicals used in the gin’s distillation, you’ll find many of the usual suspects, including cassia bark, orris root, and citrus peels.

Why it won us over: With a profoundly savory flavor, Ford’s stood out from the pack. Its backbone of piney juniper supported a bouquet of deeply briny flavors. Tasters mentioned nori, salty-sweet olives, and other umami-centric notes. With a whisper of mineral notes, Ford’s was a bracingly hefty gin with impressive structure.

We’d love it in: upside-down martinis for a crowd. Lean into that savory flavor with a liberal pour of olive brine.

We also tasted…

Aviation American Gin: Although it was a top contender, some testers said that the strong fennel taste was overwhelming.

Beefeater London Dry Gin: Although it had a strong juniper note, some tasters complained of astringency.

Bombay Sapphire Gin: This gin had a forceful, hot alcohol note that many tasters had difficulty with.

Hendrick’s Gin: Most tasters said Hendrick’s was straightforwardly sweet with a particular orange Pez-like flavor.

Tanqueray London Dry Gin: With lots of juniper and mineral notes, Tanqueray was pleasant, but tasters enjoyed other contenders with more personality.

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin: There was a nice clean lemon flavor in The Botanist, but some tasters were put off by its astringency.