5 top selling gins - A gin lovers' guide

Who doesn’t like gin? Especially with the heat wave going on, you pour a glass and combine it with whatever you fancy best, from tonic to strawberries!

Let’s talk a bit more in depth about gin. It is originally British and not Dutch as many people wrongly believe. Back in the days, it was used as a blood cleanser. It is a distilled alcohol made of juniper berries and water. Some distilleries use spices or even flavouring.

Nowadays, it is one of the most popular spirits. The Brits love their gin so much that they spent £1.3bn in 2017 on it, which means 47million bottles! Gin distilleries actually doubled from 5 years ago, gradually creating a whole new industry: gin parties, gin menus, gin spas. YES, UK’s first gin spa is a place where you can soak your feet in gin and enjoy a gin tasting menu.

Are you a gin lover yourself? Do you prefer hand crafted, small batch gin to the standard brands you find on the shelves? Keep reading to discover the 5 top selling gins! 

Sibling Triple Distilled Gin

We are referring to a multi-award winning small batch gin, hand crafted in Cheltenham by four young siblings.

It was designed to mix with tonic or make cocktails. This triple distilled gin has flavours that will really capture your imagination. Cicely, Clarice, Digby and Felix (the siblings) have worked with top cocktail makers to create a botanical mix which is memorable for all of the right reasons.

The characteristic smoothness is achieved with softening tones of vanilla and blueberry, subtle hints of orange and lemon ensuring a clean fresh twist.

Picnic Gin - Strawberries and Cream

This one is a limited Edition Strawberries and Cream Gin, lovingly made in small batches using traditional methods to ensure the best quality. You can perfectly enjoy it on a picnic while the sun is shining. Right on time for the heatwave! 

Mix it with premium elderflower tonic water over ice with a fresh strawberry, or make a summer fruit cup with lemonade and mixed fruit.

Ely Gin with Pink Grapefruit

Ely Gin is hand-made - using whole, fresh, pink grapefruits - in small batches in Cambridgeshire, representing the glamour of the 1920’s with this full-flavoured medium-sweet gin made using whole, fresh, pink grapefruits.

One for any Gin and Tonic aficionado looking for something a little bit different. Best served with a splash of tonic, this product delivers flavour in waves. Starting with the Pink Grapefruit flesh, the tongue is then treated to the gin and the tonic, before finishing with a piquant bitterness from the grapefruit skin. Complicated? Certainly. Accessible? Absolutely. Delicious? No question!

Damson Gin

This is a Damson Gin made with Lyth Valley Cumbrian damsons. Winner of Gold Star Great Taste Award 2015 and enriched with plum and almond flavours.

Mother’s Ruin liqueurs are made through a long period of cold infusion. Fruits, spices and flowers are steeped in high quality spirits for up to a year, which accounts for their intense flavour. Many of their ingredients are grown and foraged by them, in and around East London. There is a range of 7 flavours which sometimes changes due to seasonal availability.

Sacred Organic Gin

This one is an organic version of Sacred Spirit's classic London Dry Gin, with extra juniper berries and a higher abv - but the same lush, fresh flavour and mouthfeel. A beautiful balanced gin like no other.

Sacred Spirits is an award-winning microdistillery based in a residential home in London. Their unique small batch gins are made using vacuum distillation rather than a traditional pot still which gives a lusher and fresher result. 

Try pouring straight from the freezer with a few drops of Sacred English Dry Vermouth for a bold, smooth Dry Martini, and garnish with lemon zest. Alternatively, why not pour a large measure over ice and top with your favourite tonic water and a dash of Angostura Bitters, then garnish with a large pared lemon zest.

Go on to discover the full selection of over 100 small batch gins here.

Also, check out some of the top gin gift sets produced by artisans in the UK, in case you are out of present ideas!  Another great idea is a gin hamper.

Chin chin!

*Product shown: Sibling Triple Distilled Gin