Ever had a gin that is only made 12 times a year, and always under the light of the full moon? Alkkemist is distilled this way in order to obtain the best possible influence on its flavours. Made in Spain, this beautiful gin has 21 different botanicals, including sweet and fragrant Muscat grapes, rose petals, thyme, mint and fennel. Deserves to be savoured neat or with ice.
You may have heard of Eiling Lim, Malaysia’s first and foremost independent whisky bottler. But did you know she also released a range of gins with Malaysian flavours? Eiling wanted to give back to the community and showcase Malaysian flavours, so she went to a local Belgium distiller with three Malaysian botanicals – pandan, nanka and galangal – to make a gin from, and even sought out a Malaysian graphic artist to create the striking branding.
A fabulous Spanish Gin made in the small Spanish fishing town of Vilanova just outside the city of Barcelona, Gin Mare truly epitomises the Mediterranean spirit and its flavours, with a beautiful bouquet of rosemary, thyme, basil, mandarin orange and of course, juniper.
There are few gins in the world that are as iconic as Hendrick’s Gin. Not only does it come in a cool black bottle made to resemble an old apothecary jar, it’s also got a most unusual ingredient in it – cucumber, on top of rose petal essences and nine other botanicals, making for a spirit that is, yes, cool as a cucumber.
Hernö is the world’s most awarded gin producer. Founded in 2011, it is a highly-acclaimed gin from Sweden that has won pretty much every top award a gin producer can win in almost every spirits competition it has been in, including multiple Best Gin Producer and Best Gin And Tonic awards in several competitions.
Finland’s first ever gin was created by five men in a sauna, who wanted to make rye whiskey in Finland but ended up making one of the fastest-growing gin brands in the world instead. Napue is a 100% whole-grain rye-based gin with 16 botanicals, including locally foraged cranberries, sea buckthorn, meadowsweet and birch.
Created by a trio of bartender friends, who wanted a gin that stands up in mixed drinks, Porter’s is an exceptional gin that is championed by bartenders all over the world. The founders built their own vacuum still so they could distill at a lower temperature and thus bring forth the lighter, more volatile flavours of the botanicals.
Made by Dunnet Bay Distillers all the way up in North Scotland, this wonderfully floral gin gets its name from the Rhodiola Rosea, or rock rose, which the Vikings used to harvest because it was thought to give them the extra strength to continue on their long arduous journeys. Other locally foraged botanicals in the gin include rowan berries, sea buckthorn, and verbena.
Distilled in New Zealand at the foot of the Southern Alps with 12 botanicals, including nutmeg, cardamom, lemon peel, orange peel and liquorice, this is a classic yet unique dry gin that is full of citrusy notes and even a hint of spice. The name Scapegrace means a mischievous person, or rascal.
St George Distillery produces a variety of highly artisanal craft spirits, but its Terroir Gin is its most popular product, with botanicals comprising Douglas Fir, Coastal sage and Californian bay laurel capturing the essence of a Californian pine forest inside a bottle.
A gin made by bartenders for a bartenders, was created by Jason ‘Widges’ Williams at the Langley distillery in North England. 8 classic botanicals are used, including nutmeg. With a slightly higher ABV than many conventional London dry gins, Widges really comes through in mixed drinks.