Sakura rhubarb. Hawaiian lime. English raspberry.
Flavoured gin is taking over the shelves of your favourite bars lately and, thankfully, they taste nothing like the watermelon Smirnoff you downed as a foolish college student back in the day.
Unlike the chemically enhanced spirits of regret that is flavoured vodka, flavoured gin are often artisanally handcrafted by distillers, who painstakingly infuse and distill them with real exotic flavours, fruits and ingredients.
As the temperatures climb and we all start shedding our clothes while gravitating towards bodies of water, here are the flavoured gins to keep an eye out for to shake up your gin and tonic game.
Caorunn Gin
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Since 2009, Caorunn Gin has been handcrafted in small batches at Balmenach Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. Its unique blend of five handpicked Celtic botanicals and six classic gin botanicals are distilled in the world’s only working Copper Berry Chamber to extract maximum flavour. Its flavours like Blood Orange and Scottish Raspberry are a fun take on a summer fruit salad. W caorunngin.com
Von Haller’s Gin
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Von Hallers gins are inspired by the work of 18th century botanist and scientist Albrecht von Haller and made with botanicals from the historical Old Botanical Garden which he established in Göttingen, Germany. Combining the botanicals from the garden and his family’s rich knowledge of spirits and liqueurs, Von Hallers Gin was born. The gin was initially distilled in Ireland but since 2020, production was moved to Germany and subsequently two new flavoured variants have been developed: Von Hallers Forest and Von Hallers Gin Blush. W vonhallersgin.com
Beefeater Gin
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The world’s most awarded gin does flavoured gin as well as it does its London Dry, offering up citrusy iterations perfect for beating the heat like Zesty Lemon, Pink Strawberry and Blood Orange. Smooth and easy to drink, the sweetness of its flavoured varieties are perfect for cocktails as much as it holds its own with just a splash of tonic. W beefeatergin.com
Silent Pool Gin
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Luxury English gin handcrafted in the Surrey Hills with 24 botanicals, Silent Pool is full-bodied with delicate florals, fresh citrus and velvety local honey. While its gins are smooth, refined and refreshingly individual, its flavoured counterparts is alluringly created with some of the world’s rarest citrus varieties, for masterfully blended spirits that expertly balance bright and zesty, subtle and sweet, rich and delicate. Its Rare Citrus, for example, utilises four key rare citruses: Buddha’s Hand, Hirado Buntan, Natsu Dai Dai and Green Seville Orange. W silentpooldistillers.com
Slingsby Gin
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Harrogate’s finest award-winning gin is crafted using locally sourced botanical that are synonymous with the beautiful and restorative nature of Harrogate. It seeks to capture the ‘Spirit of Harrogate’ and deliver it in a bottle for you to enjoy. When it comes to the flavoured top pick, its Marmalade Gin is infused with deliciously juicy Yorkshire marmalade, bottled in a giftable burnt orange art deco-inspired vessel, and sips to a vibrant, fresh spirit with a comforting flavour reminiscent of limoncello. W spiritofharrogate.co.uk
LoneWolf Gin
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Born from Brewdog’s original gin recipe, which is already packed with botanicals, LoneWolf blooms with delicate lavender and citrus notes alongside a forage of feral pin needles, but it’s the fierce juniper backbone that stands this gin tall. Take a closer sniff and you’ll also pick up fresh grapefruit peel, fresh lemon peel, coriander seed, cardamom, angelica root, orris root, Thai lemongrass, pink peppercorn and kaffir lime leaf for a gin that which isn’t short on flavours. W brewdog.com
Sipsmith Gin
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Sipsmith’s tale began with two childhood friends, Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall, who had a life-long affection for things well made and martinis. Before long, they had been introduced to renowned drinks aficionado Jared Brown at a Negroni party (of all places) and before the evening was out, he was ready to join them on their mission to create the world’s best London Dry Gin. They went on to do that, and more, creating a range of flavoured gins that won the world over as well, ranging from flavours like Lemon Drizzle to Orange & Cacao. They’ve also partnered with the Wimbledon as well as had their bottles designed by Paul Smith for a real cross collaboration of creativity. W sipsmith.com
