All gins start with similar ingredients. Then the distilleries make them soar with added botanicals! At the beginning of my journey, I used to only like the typical London Dry style gin. I do still gravitate to the juniper forward gins, but I thoroughly enjoy discovering a gin with very different botanicals. These botanicals, often found in different countries, allow us to travel to different parts of the world while sipping! Some that stand out for me are Mermaid Gin, Bottega, Crafter’s and Opihr. In my opinion, they are great gins, but incomparable to each other or to a London Dry for that matter!
When choosing a new gin to purchase, I do look at the botanicals listed. I will no longer buy a fruity gin. I find that the majority of them taste like cough syrup. I also tend to stay away from pine spiced gin or boréals. I do enjoy a nice boreal once in a while, but would not risk purchasing and having to finish the bottle! I love to try and find colour changing gins. They make beautiful drinks, although, I have found the majority of them do not have a nice flavour. The one huge exception is Victoria Empress 1908! Not only is it a beautiful drink to sip, it is one of my favourite gins.
The saying “never judge a book by its cover” totally applies to gin purchasing! I have bought quite a few gins based on their bottle. I have also left some on the shelf, based on their bottle! Many of the gins that I purchased because of their gorgeous packaging, have been disappointing. And, sometimes you find a hidden gem in a boring package, letting the flavours of the gin do all the work!
So, all this to say, I do typically enjoy the juniper forward gins. However, every once in a while I find a gin bursting with exotic flavours that I just can’t get enough of!
| Week | Name | Stars | Comment |
| 3 | Romeo’s Gin | 5 | |
| 10 | Victoria Empress 1908 | 5 | |
| 13 | Hendricks Mojiti | 5 | |
| 24 | Tanqueray Rangpur | 5 | |
| 30 | Chase Grapefruit & Pomelo | 5 | |
| 30 | Knut Hansen | 5 | |
| 37 | Ungava Wild Ginger | 5 | |
| 60 | Opihr | 5 | |
| 74 | Hendricks Lunar | 5 | |
| 106 | Hayman’s London Dry | 5 | |
| 123 | Yukon Brewing Artisan Gin | 5 | |
| 130 | Isle of Harris Gin | 5 | |
| 141 | Lind & Lime Gin | 5 | |
| 146 | Mirabeau Dry Gin | 5 | |
| 147 | Buckingham Palace Gin | 5 | |
| 147 | Buckingham Palace Gin | 5 | |
| 162 | Reid’s Spiced Gin | 5 | |
| 199 | 44N Gin | 5 | |
| 199 | Bloom Jasmine & Rose Gin | 5 | |
| 200 | Old St. Pete Gin | 5 | |
| 212 | Saigon Baigur Gin | 5 | |
| 242 | Broken Bones Navy Strength Gin | 5 | |
| 29 | Berliner Brandstifter | 4.75 | |
| 39 | Botica | 4.75 | |
| 41 | Bulldog London Dry | 4.75 | |
| 63 | Bottega Bacûr Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 68 | City of London Authentic | 4.75 | |
| 83 | Silent Pool | 4.75 | |
| 85 | Fortunella Western Artisanal Gin (Last Best) | 4.75 | |
| 87 | Reid’s | 4.75 | |
| 104 | Hendrick’s Neptunia | 4.75 | |
| 112 | Tarsier Southeast Asian Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 133 | Bombay Sapphire Sunset Special Edition | 4.75 | |
| 134 | Otonabee River Spirits Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 144 | Laneway No. 11 Gin (Special Edition Silver Bottle) | 4.75 | |
| 146 | Mirabeau Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 146 | Yuzu Gin | 4.75 | |
| 148 | Euphorie Gin Festif | 4.75 | |
| 163 | Cotswold Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 163 | Brecon Botanicals Gin | 4.75 | |
| 164 | 50 Fathoms Gin | 4.75 | |
| 174 | Marconi 42 Mediterranean Gin | 4.75 | |
| 174 | Rosemont Madame Gin Été | 4.75 | |
| 178 | Peeping Tom Handcrafter Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 181 | Mermaid Zest Gin | 4.75 | |
| 185 | Drumshanbo Gunpowder with California Orange Citrus | 4.75 | |
| 189 | Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin | 4.75 | |
| 204 | Opihr Black Lemon Gin | 4.75 | |
| 205 | Etsu Japanese Gin | 4.75 | |
| 206 | Gin Mare Capri | 4.75 | |
| 218 | The Gardener French Riviera Gin | 4.75 | |
| 219 | Fords London Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 219 | Pelota Handcrafted Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 229 | Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin | 4.75 | |
| 234 | Ki No Tea Kyoto Dry Gin | 4.75 | |
| 2 | Ungava | 4.5 | |
| 6 | The Botanist Islay Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 13 | Hendricks with tonic and cucumber | 4.5 | |
| 14 | Hendricks Midsummer Solstice | 4.5 | |
| 15 | Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla | 4.5 | |
| 22 | Bathtub Gin | 4.5 | |
| 28 | Queensborough | 4.5 | |
| 32 | Conked Dorset Gin | 4.5 | |
| 33 | Valley of Mother of God Gin | 4.5 | |
| 42 | Artist In Residence Cucumber | 4.5 | |
| 49 | Boodles | 4.5 | |
| 54 | Paper Boat | 4.5 | |
| 73 | Wabasso Florida Grapefruit & Yuzu | 4.5 | |
| 74 | Junction 56 Black Raspberry Gin Liqueur with Tanqueray Rangpur | 4.5 | |
| 78 | Generous Gin Organic Coriander & Combava | 4.5 | |
| 89 | Bombay Sapphire English Estate | 4.5 | |
| 1 00 | Georgian Bay | 4.5 | |
| 107 | Masq Gin | 4.5 | |
| 109 | Wild Life Gin | 4.5 | |
| 112 | Highclere Castle | 4.5 | |
| 116 | Rosidae | 4.5 | |
| 120 | Granny’s Gin | 4.5 | |
| 133 | Bio Birster Contre Vents et Marées | 4.5 | |
| 146 | Yuzu Gin | 4.5 | |
| 154 | Northwest Passage Expedition Gin | 4.5 | |
| 154 | Reid’s Citrus Gin | 4.5 | |
| 150 | Bruderkuss Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 152 | Scapegrace Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 154 | Northwest Passage Expedition Gin | 4.5 | |
| 154 | Reid’s Citrus Gin | 4.5 | |
| 156 | Drumshanbo Gunpowder Sardinian Citrus Irish Gin | 4.5 | |
| 163 | Sipsmith Grapefruit and Rosemary | 4.5 | |
| 165 | Plymouth Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 174 | Marconi 42 Mediterranean Gin | 4.5 | Really really good. I love the anise flavour. |
| 197 | Gin Mare | 4.5 | |
| 200 | Isle of Ramsay | 4.5 | |
| 206 | Portofino Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 216 | Jawbox Classic Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 224 | Tarquin’s Cornish Dry Gin | 4.5 | |
| 231 | Ramsbury Gin | 4.5 | |
| 238 | Cruzloma Handcrafted Gin | 4.5 |