The Best of Modern Gin

This spirit represents a collaboration of Santa Barbara’s Ascendent Spirits and celebrated wine expert Rajat Parr. The result is a gin that incorporates vinous concepts to the distilled world — for example, the production bares a vintage starting with this inaugural 2015 release and the botanical combination (which incorporates 14 different hand-picked ones) leans toward a floral/ fruit-driven profile reminiscent to the balance found in wine. The botanicals are chosen to show traditional London Dry components with a healthy influence of local California ingredients selected to show the region’s terroir — the French concept of agricultural products showing a sense of place because of their unique growing condition.

Made by Domaine Pinnacle in Quebec, Ungava Canadian Premium Gin celebrates the tundra environment of Ungava Peninsula in northern Quebec. Ungava Gin is made using a spirit made from locally-grown corn that has been infused with botanicals harvested from the Ungava region. These botanicals are infused both pre and post-distillation which accounts for its unique yellow color. Botanicals include: wild rose hips, arctic blend, cloudberry, labrador tea, crowberry, and nordic juniper.

The St. Augustine distillery is based in Florida’s eponymous town that carries the title of America’s oldest city. All products born here focus on the region’s long history and proximity to a variety of natural crops. For the gin that means using a 100% Florida-grown sugarcane for the neutral spirit and their legendary citrus. In order to preserve the spirit’s freshness, all botanicals (including juniper, coriander, angelica, lemon peel, and cassia bark) are ground using a vintage hand-mill right before use.

American Aviation Gin was released in 2006 as a collaborative product between Seattle bartender Ryan Magarian and House Spirits Distillery based in Portland, Oregon. Using a neutral grain spirit, seven different botanicals - juniper, elettaria cardamom, lavender, sarsaparilla, coriander, anise seed and dried sweet orange peel - are steeped and boiled with the spirit in a steel vat before being distilled again and bottled at 42% ABV. Note: As of February 2018, actor Ryan Reynolds is the proud owner of the gin brand.

The craft spirit movement has never been confined to America's coasts, so it is of no surprise that even beer-centric Milwaukee is getting involved in the action. Central Standard Distillery may only date back to 2014, but they've made a splash with a small collection of spirits that are unabashedly nontraditional.

Gifford's Gin is described as a "gin for those who don't like gin." The gin is produced by Blackfish Spirits Distillery in Auburn, Washington, with a grain base. It is bottled at 40% ABV.

Odd Fellows No. 214 Gin is produced by Manatawny Still Works in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Bottled at 47% ABV, the name references an "interesting collection of individuals" who comprise the business.

Lock Keeper Gin is distilled by County Seat Spirits, a grain-to-class distillery in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The gin is flavored with organic juniper and other botanicals such as coriander, elderflower, and grains of paradise. The name for the gin alludes to the lock keepers on the Lehigh Canal.

Fremont Mischief Gin is made in Seattle, Washington and is made with at least some local botanicals that the distillery describes as "euphoric and aphrodisiac." The distillery also produces a couple of vodkas and several whiskeys at the distillery named for the neighborhood in which they are located.

3 Howls Good Old Fashioned Gin is produced at the 3 Howls Distillery in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Though not a London Dry, juniper is the central botanical. It is bottled at 90 proof.