With over over 6,000 brands of gin being produced in the world, it should come as no surprise that there is more to gin than juniper berries!
Our mission – to teach you how gins are categorized into styles, such as Old Tom Gin, London Dry, Modern/Contemporary, or New Western Gin. Those are styles.
Plus, you need to know what each style tastes like, and finally, we are going to connect the dots between brands and styles in our Comprehensive Gin Reviews
Once informed, you WILL be able to choose the best style of gin for a particular cocktail, and exactly which brands deliver the style you’re looking for.
So let’s start with the most important detail:
What Does Gin Taste Like?
In gin, you’ll taste pine (juniper), citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit), warm spices like coriander and ginger and roots like licorice. Depending on Style, some are distinctly floral flavor while others are citrus forward. London Dry Gin distillers highlight the juniper berry, while New Westerners blaze their own trail.
What are the most common Gin ingredients?
To protect their recipes, most gin producers are purposely vague when it comes to naming every single botanical they use, which makes it challenging to identify exactly what you’re tasting in your gin cocktail.
Even more puzzling, familiar gins like Gordon’s and Tanqueray may feature 4 botanicals while others like The Botanist take the complexity to the next level with 22 hand-foraged botanicals plus 9 berries, barks, seeds and peels! And yes, there are distillers who use even more botanicals than that.
What you will find is that every brand has a distinct flavor of its own. This means some brands are perfect for fruity gins drinks, while others are stellar martini makers. And getting to know these differences is the fun part!
Let’s dive into the flavor profiles AKA “styles” of 6 extremely popular gins in no particular order:
- Old Tom
- Genever
- Sloe
- Plymouth
- New Western
- London Dry
BONUS – We’ll give you a common cocktail made with each style PLUS an easy to find brand to add to your shopping list. Once finished, you’ll have fun making your own gin cocktails every season of the year!
What Does a London Dry Gin Taste Like?
Piney juniper will be the primary flavor you taste in a London Dry Gin and these distillers go deep into Juniper land. During distillation, there can be other botanicals, but absolutely no artificial colors or flavors are ever allowed if the gin wants to call itself “London Dry”.
For example: Tanqueray makes a true London Dry. They also make a delicious orange flavored Sevilla Gin. That orange flavored gin isn’t a London Dry and thus, you will not see those words on the label.
Botanicals can be used in a London Dry, so long as they are steeped or vapor-infused during distilling. The most common ones are peppercorn, citrus, coriander, licorice. cardamom and ginger.
In spite of its name, London Dry Gin can be produced anywhere, though you’ll find many from England. These gins are widely-known and available everywhere.
- Flavor Profile Leans: toward heat and juniper, varies in citrus and spice
- Best Cocktail made with London Dry Gin: Gin and Tonic
- You might like London Dry Gin if you like: traditional, clean, assertive, warming spirits
- Good for Gin and Tonic? Absolutely yes!
London Dry Gin Brand Names
| London Dry Brands | Country |
| Beefeater | England |
| Gordon’s | England |
| Bombay LD & Sapphire | England |
| Hayman’s | England |
| Tanqueray | England |
What Does New Western or New American Gin Taste Like?
New Western or New American Gin goes by many other names. You might hear it called Contemporary Gin or Modern Gin.
Whatever you call it, New Western Gin shies away from the juniper and runs with more unusual botanical combinations.
Small-batch producers embrace their local farms and their results often reflect the region they live. As such, they strive to create their own unique and compelling contemporary gins.
- Flavor profile Leans: far less juniper, typically citrus forward, wide variety of herby, floral flavors
- Best Cocktails made with New Western or New American Gin: Aviation, Tom Collins, Gin and Juice
- You might like New Western or New American Gin if you like: many big flavors
- Good for Gin and Tonic? Yes, Yes, Yes
New Western Gin Brands
Now let’s find out which brands of gin are done in the “New Western Style” and offer the citrusy, herby, florals.
| New Western Brands | Country |
| Hendrick’s | Scotland |
| Aviation | USA |
| Uncle Val’s | USA |
| Roku | Japan |
| Citadelle Jardin d’été | France |
| Gray Whale | USA |
| Empress 1908 | Canada |
What Does Plymouth Gin Taste Like?
Plymouth Gin, a favorite of the Royal Navy, has been around since 1793 and is enjoying a new popularity. It is known as a solid bar-building gin that works in nearly all cocktails.
Plymouth gin is a good choice if you would prefer something earthy with spices and citrus and subdued juniper.
It is a brand and a style, and it’s excellent in martinis and can be swapped out for vodka in many instances.
- Flavor Profile Leans: warm, spice, citrus and less juniper
- Best Cocktail made with Plymouth gin: Dry Martini
- You might like Plymouth Gin if you like: smooth, crisp spirits that do not overwhelm
- Good for Gin and Tonic? Absolutely yes!
Plymouth Gin Brands
Brands in the Plymouth style (this is easy): Plymouth (the one and only) contains seven botanicals: juniper berries, coriander seed, orange and lemon peel, green cardamom, angelica root and orris root.
How Does Old Tom Gin Taste?
Whiskey drinkers tend to enjoy the nice, rich flavor of Old Tom Gin. This deep, intense gin has loyal followers and lucky for all of us, it’s been enjoying a big revival thanks to the sensation of craft cocktails.
Old Tom is mainly produced by small batch distillers so flavors vary quite a bit. Look for barrel aged brands for great, malty taste. They will leave you warm and cozy.
- Flavor Profile Leans: less juniper, rich, herby, woody/barrel
- Best Cocktails made with Old Tom Gin: Old Fashioned, on the rocks
- You might like Old Tom Gin if you like: a smooth, slightly sweet, malty spirit
- Good for in and Tonic? Yes! But, stick to a plain tonic here.
| Old Tom Brands | Country |
| Ransom Old Tom | USA |
| Hayman’s Old Tom | England |
| Aviation Old Tom | USA |
| Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat | USA |
What Does Genever Gin Taste Like?
Genever is the Dutch spirit often described as a flavor meld of gin and whiskey. Common ingredients include ginger, star anise, cloves, caraway, coriander, orange and nutmeg.
Real Genever lovers sip it slowly, like whiskey. There are two styles: Old Genever is typically enjoyed as a digestive and young Genever as a chilled aperitif.
Both make nice additions to cocktails that are looking for a natural way to “go deep and warm”
- Flavor Profile Leans: “old” malty, full-bodied, very subdued citrus and juniper, “young” some juniper and lighter malt
- Best Cocktail made with Genever: Martinez
- You might like “Oude” (Dutch for Old) Genever if you like: Mezcal, smokey Scotch
- Good for Gin and Tonic? Yes! Increase the tonic a little if you’re using a strong, “old” genever
Brands of Genever Gin
| Genever Gin Brands | Country |
| Bols Genever | Netherlands |
| Bols Barrel Aged Genever | Netherlands |
| Boomsa Jong Graan | Netherlands |
| Diep 9 Old | Belgium |
| Old Duff | Netherlands |
What Does Sloe Gin Taste Like?
Sloe Gin is naturally flavored, sweet liqueur that tastes fruity in a good way. It tastes plummy and has the flavor of dried fruit and almonds. It’s delicious after a meal, in lieu of desert.
But buyer beware! Look for Craft Sloe with a Gin base to avoid the cheap, syrupy, artificial wannabees. I go into great detail about Sloe Gin here.
- Flavor Profile Leans: sweet, plumy, juicy
- Best Cocktail made with Sloe Gin: Sloe Gin Fizz
- You might like Sloe Gin if you like: sweet, fruity sipping cordials or refreshing soda/tonic drinks
- Good for Gin and Tonic? Yes! Feel free to experiment with flavored tonics to balance the sweetness
Brands of Sloe Gin
| Sloe Gin Brands | Country |
| Sipsmith Sloe | England |
| Hayman’s Sloe Gin | England |
| Monkey 47 Sloe Gin | Germany |
| Plymouth Sloe Gin | England |
| Pur Blackthorn Sloe Gin | Germany |
SHOPPING TIP: Where to find Sloe Gin? Good brands of Sloe Gin will be stocked in the gin section. Many liquor stores will stock their cheaper Sloe Gin in the cordial section.
What does Gin and Tonic Taste Like
The bubbles of the tonic deliver the flavors of the gin you use but it is more than a mixer to lengthen the drink. Here’s’ where it gets fascinating! Everyone knows the Gin and Tonic is a classic go-to drink. But the style of gin you choose will have a great impact on taste.
Use a New Western that is citrus forward and your gin and tonic will tastes bright, slightly sweet, briefly bitter with citrus and other interesting flavors like juniper, spices and floral ingredients in the background. In contrast, all those warming spices and juniper of an old tom, will make a warming, comforting gin and tonic. This is the beauty of gins!
There are many brands and flavors of tonic water on the market these days. Be careful not to outshine the gin with too much tonic. A tonic can either enhance or complicate a cocktail so go lighter and adjust from there.
Beginners, you can’t go wrong mixing a classic gin like Tanqueray with a good tonic like Fever-Tree Indian. You’ll be the Mixmaster once you realize there are so many exciting combinations when pairing gins and tonics, not to mention the garnishes!
Finally
Those who like gin say, “Don’t cry over spilt milk, it could have been gin.” Actually it was Pappy Maverick and he was talking about whiskey but nevermind! It still works for gin because those botanicals are delicious and bring intense flavors to our Gin drinks!
Gin’s botanicals make for great tasting, complex cocktails that you cannot achieve with any other spirit. When you are selecting your gin, you have so many choices and directions to travel. So the next time you want something classic, choose gin and the next time you want something novel and experimental, choose gin.