Best UK gins
From using native botanicals to being inspired by local history, explore the vibrant British gins that celebrate a sense of place
The gin boom in recent years has seen gin distilleries spring up the length and breadth of the British Isles, and it's likely that wherever you go in the UK you'll discover a locally made gin, often using botanicals and ingredients from the surrounding area, whether that's wheat grown on Salisbury plain, Yorkshire gooseberries or foraged sea vegetables in Suffolk. Here are some of the best gins that make the most of where they come from.
Want to discover more unique gins? Try our favourite Scottish gins, Welsh gins and flavoured gins, or travel the world from your home with our unusual international gins. Looking to really impress fellow gin lovers? Bring the bar to your home with our best drinks trolley ideas, and buy from one of our favourite online bottle shops.
Our favourite UK gins to try
Mainbrace Cornish Dry Gin, £34.99, mainbracerum.com
A clean, zesty Cornish gin with lemon peel notes and an appealing saline edge thanks to a botanical bill of coastal ingredients.
Flavour profile: citrus
Botanicals: kelp, dulse, sea spaghetti, juniper, orris, lemon peel, lemon verbena, angelica root, lime peel, lime leaf
Perfect pairing: Try in a gimlet.
Norfolk: Bullards Coastal Gin, £38.95, Master of Malt
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.
Suffolk: Fishers Gin, £41.75/70cl, Master of Malt
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
Yorkshire: Slingsby Gooseberry Gin, £30, Amazon
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
Warner's London Dry Gin, £28.25/70cl, The Whisky Exchange
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
Lanarkshire: Biggar Gin, £35.63/70cl, Master of Malt
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, £40.95/70cl, The Whisky Exchange
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
Wiltshire: Ramsbury Gin, £33.50/70cl, Waitrose Cellar
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
Cornwall: Tarquin's Gin, £32.50/70cl, Amazon
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
Cambridge: Three Seasons Gin, £90/70cl, Cambridge Distillery
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.
The Cairgngorms, Caorunn Gin, £28/70cl, Tesco
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
Thurso: Rock Rose, £32/70cl, Amazon
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
Surry: Silent Pool Gin, £37.75/70cl, Master of Malt
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, £23.85/70cl, Amazon
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
London: Sipsmith London Dry Gin, £29.95/70cl, The Whisky Exchange
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, £33.95/70cl, Master of Malt
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
Make your own gin
So you like drinking gin? But how about making your own?
Recipe: try making your own clementine, ginger and bay gin Infuse your own gin with festive flavours, wrap it up nice and give it to a special someone. It's a unique and thoughtful gift that's really easy to make.
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