Best UK gins

Our favourite UK gins at a glance

• Ludlow: Pink Ludlow gin, £44.95
• Ayrshire: Hendrick's Flora Adora gin, £34.95
• London: Jensen’s London Distilled Bermondsey dry gin, £30.79
• Norfolk: Bullards Coastal gin, £38.45
• Suffolk: Fishers gin, £39.99
• Yorkshire: Slingsby gooseberry gin, £28
• Northamptonshire: Warner's London dry gin, £30
• Lanarkshire: Biggar gin, £36
• Devon: Salcombe Start Point London dry gin, £44.95
• Wiltshire: Ramsbury gin, £29.50
• Cornwall: Tarquin's gin, £38
• Cambridge: Cambridge Distillery Three Seasons gin, £94.33
• The Cairngorms: Caorunn gin, £29.50
• Thurso: Rock Rose Scottish gin, £33
• Surrey: Silent Pool gin, £35
• Wales: Aber Falls small batch gin, £31.99
• London: Sipsmith London dry gin, £22.50
• Northern Ireland: Boatyard Double gin, £33.99

Our favourite UK gins to try

Ludlow: Pink Ludlow gin

• Available from Amazon (£44.95), olive shop (£39.95/70cl)

A rich and complex pink gin, with floral notes from hibiscus, warmth from pink peppercorns and zesty orange notes to round everything off.

Flavour profile: citrus

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, orange, angelica, orris, hibiscus, pink peppercorn

Perfect pairing: Try in a contessa with equal parts gin, dry vermouth and Aperol.

Available from:
Amazon (£44.95/70cl)
olive shop (£39.95/70cl)

Ayrshire: Hendrick's Flora Adora gin

• Available from Master of Malt (£34.95/70cl)

This gin was inspired by the flowers favoured by pollinating bees and butterflies in the garden at Hendrick's Gin Palace in Ayrshire. As the name suggests, this is a turbo-charged floral bomb of a gin, with very intense perfumed rose and lavender aromas. On the palate, more juniper and grassiness comes through, as well as lemon and cucumber.

Flavour profile: Floral

Botanicals: Flora Adora uses Hendrick's house gin as its base with botanicals including cucumber and rose, as well as a secret blend of other floral ingredients.

Perfect pairing: Try in a white lady cocktail with lemon juice, triple sec and egg white

Available from:
Master of Malt (£34.95/70cl)

London: Jensen’s London Distilled Bermondsey dry gin

• Available from olive shop (£30.79/70cl)

A rich, heady gin made in the classic London dry style, with subtle citrus and floral notes

Flavour profile: juniper forward

Perfect pairing: Use in a dry martini.

Available from:
olive shop (£30.79/70cl)

Norfolk: Bullards Coastal gin

• Available from Master of Malt (£38.45)

Inspired by the Norfolk coastline, this is the gin equivalent to a fresh sea breeze, with a subtle salty, savoury profile and complex notes of sea vegetables, citrus and fennel. We were also impressed with their eco-friendly refill service, which offers 700ml pouches of gin to top bottles back up (and you can post the pouch back to Bullards free of charge for recycling).

Flavour profile: herbaceous

Botanicals: juniper, sea purslane, marsh samphire, sea aster, Douglas fir

Perfect pairing: Try in a dirty martini, with a couple of raw oysters alongside.

Available from:
Master of Malt (£38.45)

Suffolk: Fishers gin

• Available from Master of Malt (£39.99/70cl), Amazon (£48.42)

This unusual gin features a host of rare botanicals foraged on the Suffolk coast. Herbaceous and subtly saline on the nose (we were reminded of sea vegetables), it’s slightly sweeter to taste, with aromatic cardamom notes.

Flavour profile: herbaceous

Botanicals: spignel, rock samphire, wood avens and bog myrtle

Perfect pairing: try it in a dirty martini

Available from:
Master of Malt (£39.99/70cl), Amazon (£48.42)

Yorkshire: Slingsby gooseberry gin

• Available from Amazon (£29), Ocado (£28)

Slingsby’s rhubarb gin was a hit at olive HQ and now the Yorkshire distillery has released another tart and zesty winner. Here, tangily fruity gooseberries (also sourced in Yorkshire) marry perfectly with the citrussy notes of the base gin.

Flavour profile: citrus

Botanicals: severn sea rosemary, silver posie thyme, green and jasmine tea, citrus thyme, garden thyme, rhubarb, sage, lovage, chervil, nettle, sweet cicely, rose hip, angelica, cassia, orris root, coriander, liquorice, grapefruit and juniper

Perfect pairing: the gin’s creamy mouthfeel means it would be lovely sipped neat with ice, or try topping up with some sparkling white wine for a spring-like spritz.

Northamptonshire: Warner's London dry gin

• Available from Amazon (£30), Tesco (£30)

A rich and full-bodied London dry gin made using lemon verbena, lavender and angelica root grown on the distillery's own farm, as well as discarded lemon peel from a local fruit factory. It's vibrant with bold juniper and zesty flavours, with a subtly spicy edge.

Flavour profile: Juniper and citrus

Botanicals: Lemon verbena, angelica root, lavender, lemon peel, coriander, elderflower, cinnamon, almond, nutmeg, juniper

Perfect pairing: tonic and a wedge of orange

Available from:
Amazon (£30)
Tesco (£30)

Lanarkshire: Biggar gin

• Available from Master of Malt (£35.99), Amazon (£36)

This award-winning small-batch gin uses botanicals local to the Scottish town of Biggar, where it’s made. As to be expected from a London dry gin it’s got plenty of juniper character, as well as vibrant orange notes, subtle herbaceousness and spice, and a restrained sweetness. It’s also super smooth to drink, with a lingering finish.

Flavour profile: juniper

Botanicals: rowan berry, rosehip, nettle, pink peppercorns, coriander seed, cardamom pods, lavender cassia bark, orris root

Perfect pairing: tonic and a few pink peppercorns

Devon: Salcombe Start Point London dry gin

• Available from Waitrose Cellar (£45), Amazon (£44.95), Master of Malt (£45)

The Start Point lighthouse in Salcombe marked the beginning of the voyages of the 19th-century fruit schooners that carried exotic goods from the Azores and Mediterranean to the UK. This produce inspired this super-smooth London dry gin's flavour. Though earthy juniper is dominant, it’s followed by bright, zingy citrus – as well as a subtle, warming spice.

Flavour profile: juniper

Botanicals: juniper, coriander seed, ruby grapefruit, lemon, lime, cubeb

Perfect pairing: slice of red grapefruit

Available from:
Waitrose Cellar (£45)
Amazon (£44.95)
Master of Malt (£45)

Wiltshire: Ramsbury gin

• Available from Waitrose Cellar (£29.50), Amazon (£29.50), Master of Malt (£29.79)

This single-estate gin is made in Wiltshire by a distillery whose ethos is very much grain to glass – the gin’s base spirit is distilled onsite using wheat grown on the Ramsbury estate (and chalk-filtered water from their own aquifer). A lovely, balanced London dry gin with heady citrus and floral aromas on the nose and a smooth, fruity finish.

Flavour profile: citrus

Botanicals: juniper (picked nearby on Salisbury plain) and homegrown quince

Perfect pairing: tonic and a twist of orange peel

Available from:
Waitrose Cellar (£29.50)
Amazon (£29.50)
Master of Malt (£29.79)

Cornwall: Tarquin's gin

• Available from Amazon (£31.50, 70cl), Sainsbury's (£27.50, 50cl), John Lewis (£38, 70cl)

Featuring 12 botanicals sourced across the globe as well as locally along the Cornish coast, this is a well-balanced gin with all the classic botanicals coming through on both the nose and the palate. The juniper is prevalent (as it should be) but a strong lemony coriander reminds us of a deep pine forest on a hot summer stroll – earthy notes and warm orange blossom faintly joining in. Floral notes from Devon violets only come through after a couple of sips, but are balanced by the amount of citrusy and rooty/earthy botanicals mingling around.

Flavour profile: citrus

Botanicals: juniper, coriander seeds, orange, lemon, grapefruit, angelica root, orris root, green cardamom seeds, bitter almond, cinnamon, liquorice root, violets

Perfect pairing: twist of grapefruit peel

Available from:
Amazon (£31.50, 70cl)
Sainsbury's (£27.50, 50cl)
John Lewis (£38, 70cl)

Cambridge: Cambridge Distillery Three Seasons gin

• Available from Master of Malt (£94.33), Selfridges (£96.99), Laithwaites (£90)

We've come to expect great things from the Cambridge Distillery and their latest release doesn't disappoint. Designed to evoke the changing seasons of an English country garden, this is a botanical powerhouse of a gin. Featuring local and seasonal ingredients of lemon verbena, blackcurrant leaf and rose, it's fresh yet richly floral, with herbaceous citrus notes, hints of dark fruits and a complex, evocative finish. Yes, it's priced on the steep side, but with a beautiful bottle it would make a special gift for a gin lover. The more budget conscious should try their excellent Cambridge Dry Gin, at £39.99.

Flavour profile: floral and citrus

Botanicals: Lemon verbena, rose, blackcurrant leaf

Perfect pairing: we think this richly complex gin would shine in a dry martini.

Available from:
Master of Malt (£94.33)
Selfridges (£96.99)
Laithwaites (£90)

The Cairngorms: Caorunn gin

• Available from Amazon (£27.44), Tesco (£28), Waitrose Cellar (£29.50)

Distilled and bottled in Scotland, Caorunn firmly takes on the mantle of a national product. The distillery is situated in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park, at the foot of the Haughs of Cromdale. It's inspired by the landscape that surrounded them – Simon Buley (one of the distillers) wanted to use the ancient skills and recipes of spirit-making, using age-old Celtic botanicals that grow on the surrounding hills of Balmenach Distillery.

Drunk on its own, the gin is crisp, dry and well-balanced yet still full-bodied. The botanicals jump out in the palate with spices, citrus and floral notes all working well to compliment a dry juniper note that leaves you with a crisp, clean finish.

Flavour profile: floral

Botanicals: juniper, coriander, lemon peel, orange peel, angelica root, cassia bark, rowan berry, heather, dandelion, coul blush apple

Perfect pairing: tonic and thin wedge of red apple

Available from:
Amazon (£27.44)
Tesco (£28)
Waitrose Cellar (£29.50)

Thurso: Rock Rose Scottish gin

Proving the British craft distilling movement has gone all the way to the northern tip of Scotland, Rock Rose harnesses its regionality in its gin, using local and regional botanicals such sea buckthorn and rhodiola rosea for a bright gin packed with fruity berries and a delicate astringency.

Flavour profile: floral

Botanicals: juniper, rose root, sea buckthorn, rowan berries, bilberries, cardamom, coriander seed, verbena

Perfect pairing: tonic and a sprig of rosemary

Surrey: Silent Pool gin

A clean juniper-driven spirit that uses an impressive 24 botanicals and fresh spring water from the Albury Estate, where the gin is made. The end result has gentle citrus and perfumed floral notes that make it the perfect summer tipple.

Flavour profile: floral

Botanicals: juniper, chamomile, lavender, citrus, honey

Perfect pairing: tonic and a twist of orange peel

Wales: Aber Falls small batch gin

• Available from Amazon (£24.99), The Bottle Club (£31.99)

Piney juniper and lavender are surprise best pals in this subtly floral number that showcases Welsh-inspired botanicals, with peppery notes adding to its complexity. One for those who prefer sweeter gins.

Flavour profile: floral

Botanicals: lavender, rowan berries, black pepper, juniper, angelica and liquorice

Perfect pairing: tonic and a slice of cucumber

Available from:
Amazon (£24.99)
The Bottle Club (£31.99)

London: Sipsmith London dry gin

In 2009 the first new licence to distill in London since 1820 was granted to Sipsmith Independent Spirits and since then, a raft of new micro-distilleries have followed. This original recipe is bold, complex and aromatic with a floral nose followed by dry juniper and citrus on the palate. A modern London dry gin that pays tribute to its city heritage.

Flavour profile: juniper forward

Botanicals: juniper, angelica root, coriander seed, cassia bark, orris root, ground almond, cinnamon bark, liquorice root, lemon peel, seville orange peel

Perfect pairing: tonic and a wedge of lime, or a few coriander seeds

Northern Ireland: Boatyard Double gin

• Available from Master of Malt (£33.99), Amazon (£41.11)

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but this smooth, juniper- led gin lives up to its classy label. It also has a hint of floral sweetness thanks to the wild sweet gale that’s foraged from Boatyard’s farm in Fermanagh.

Flavour profile: juniper led

Botanicals: juniper, sweet gale, grains of paradise, angelica, lemon, orris, liquorice root, coriander

Perfect pairing: tonic and a twist of orange peel and juniper berries

Available from:
Master of Malt (£33.99)
Amazon (£42.72)

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