Whether you enjoy to drink gin neat, in a G&T or a cocktail, you have an excuse this Saturday 13th June to raise a glass and celebrate World Gin Day – so why not try one or more of these 8 gin brands below including craft gins from Scotland to England and beyond, such as Iceland and Japan.
Organised by Emma Stokes (aka as Gin Monkey) the second Saturday in June has become a global celebration of all things gin. World Gin Day will be going virtual in 2020.
BEN LOMOND GIN – £33/ 70cl bottle 43% abv and available from Ben Lomond Gin, at Tesco Scotland stores and online retailers
Ben Lomond Gin incorporates natural botanicals sourced from the surrounding Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park area in Scotland including hand-picked blackcurrants and locally foraged rowan berries, that create a soft sweetness in the taste. The gin is a London Dry style and the brand has entered a partnership with leading conservation charity, the John Muir Trust.
“Ben Lomond Gin’s naturally occurring botanicals and exquisitely-designed bottle will help to showcase Scotland’s wonderful landscapes, while the financial support it is providing to the Trust will enable us to continue our very important job of protecting and conserving wild land across the UK.” Adam Pinder, the John Muir Trust
NÀDAR GIN – £43/ 70cl bottle 43% abv and available from Arbikie and selected retailers
Meaning nature in Gaelic, Nàdar harnesses the power of nature and science to create the world’s first climate positive gin made from peas. A revolutionary spirit for the drinks industry, with a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e per 700ml bottle, it is at the forefront of the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss – the biggest challenges humankind has ever faced.
For reference – ‘More Brands Going Green’ (Inside the Cask)
MARBERG ICELANDIC GIN – £40/ 70cl bottle 43% abv and available from selected retailers online
Marberg is a London Dry styled gin, brought into being with the marriage of glacial water, wild Icelandic botanicals, and fruits and spices from distant shores. Produced at the Thoran Distillery in Iceland, its botanicals include black pepper and grapefruit and other more traditional botanicals, including the unusual use of red seaweed (commonly known as Dulse), an Icelandic botanical.
SIPSMITH ORANGE & CACAO GIN £25/ 50cl bottle 40% abv and available from Sipsmith and selected retailers
It’s zesty, it’s chocolatey and it’s unmistakably junipery. Citrus gins have been around for centuries, but this modern take is also inspired by the popular flavour combination of chocolate and orange. Here, Sipsmith Gin dials up the juniper and using an age-old tradition, sweeten with plenty of liquorish. Next they add an array of botanicals from orange blossom to cacao nibs, before resting the gin on fresh orange zest for a wonderfully complex, citrus gin.
“As near to a deconstructed Terry’s Chocolate Orange as you could wish for.” Guardian Feast Magazine
THE LAKES PINK GRAPEFRUIT GIN £33/ 70cl bottle 46% abv and available from The Lakes and selected retailers
Distinctively zesty pink grapefruit vigour meets the resounding juniper notes of The Lakes Gin. Bursting with uplifting citrus notes and refreshingly tangy pink grapefruit flavour, bottled above their liqueurs at 46% ABV this is zingy tasty stuff! Bursting with uplifting citrus notes and refreshingly tangy pink grapefruit flavour. Distilled in The Lakes Distillery’s traditional copper pot still and only drawing the purest water from the Lake District National Park home in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
THE DUNDEE CO. GIN £38/ 70cl bottle 46% abv and available from selected retailers
This classic dry gin was quadruple distilled spirit and produced in small batches bringing together ten key botanicals, and is bottled at a powerful 46% ABV. The gin itself has the traditional notes of juniper, supported with hints of citrus and liquorice, with a wee spicy kick on the end.
SAKURAO JAPANESE DRY GIN £47 / 70cl bottle 47% abv and available from selected retailers online
A craft gin that utilises 9 kinds of botanicals, including fresh citrus from Hiroshima in Japan, and is distilled using a combination of steeping and vapour methods by Chugoku Jozo at its Sakurao Distillery. Five types of imported botanicals such as juniper berry and coriander seed are also used for this Japanese dry gin. The fusion of a citrus-like aroma with the traditional taste of gin is the most distinctive feature of their original gin.
SKY WAVE GIN £35/ 50cl bottle 42% abv and available at Sky Wave and selected retailers online
This is a micro batch, hand-crafted gin, made by Rachel and Andy in Bucknell, Oxfordshire. They distil exactingly to the London Dry style using the ‘one shot’ method, in a modern take on a traditional pot still, using the 13 botanicals which are kept as a closely guarded secret. Each bottle is distilled, filled and labeled by hand, and on each bottle you can find out which distiller made your gin.
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