Our Favorite Gins from the Pacific Northwest

In contrast to the lighter, less-juniper driven gins that have come to define the Modern Style, the Big Gin brand has moved towards the traditional London dry-style that seeks a full, robust flavor (hence, the "big" in "Big Gin"). The flagship product, Big Gin, uses eight botanicals in addition to juniper: coriander, orange peel, grains of paradise, angelica, cassia, cardamom, orris, & Tasmanian pepper berry. Bottled at 47% ABV.

Made in British Columbia, Canada, Queensborough Gin is based off of the traditional London Dry recipe. The juniper and spruce tips are both locally sourced. Other botanicals include pine, rosemary, jasmine and cassia.

Distilled in Oregon, this dry gin begins with mashbill of malted barley and rye producing a "malt wine". The botanicals are infused in a corn-based spirit. The gin is distilled in a 10-hecotoliter direct-fire pot-still and was inspired by Holland's genevers thought it is more a hybrid of that style and American dry gins. Notable botanicals include caraway, anise, Oregon Marionberries, and local hops. Ransom Dry Gin is bottled at 43% ABV.

Distilled at Victoria, B.C.'s Phillips Fermentorium Distilling Co., this gin is distilled using hand-foraged botanicals and herbs grown in British Columbia. They distill their base neutral-spirit (instead purchasing it which is often done in gin production) from barley and redistill the spirit with the botanicals--juniper, Cascade hops, Grand Fir, bay laurel, coriander, and lavender. It is bottled at 45% ABV.

Sheringham Distillery, located in Vancouver Island, was founded by husband and wife Jason and Alayne MacIsaac. The distillery produces small batch, handmade spirits locally made and sourced, down to the labels and typefaces. All expressions are mashed, fermented, and distilled on site at Sheringham Distillery. Sheringham's Seaside Gin is made from organic white wheat, malted barley, natural botanicals, and local winged kelp hand harvested by "Mermaid of the Pacific" and founder of Dakini Tidal Wilds Amanda Swinimer. It is bottled at 43% ABV.

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.

Victoria Distillery is located in Sidney, a town on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just 20 minutes from downtown Victoria, the city the distillery was originally located. After 10 years, they moved to larger digs in 2016 and with the move came a revamped packaging for their gin. Now the modern packaging suits the contents within; 10 botanicals are used in this gin, which in addition to juniper berries include star anise, cinnamon, and rose petals. It is distilled in batches and is bottled at 45%

Oola Distillery was established in 2011 in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. This is a grain-to-glass distillery and they produce vodkas, whiskeys, and aged gin. Here they take their unflavored vodka which is wheat-based and infuse 13 botanicals, including hibiscus, coriander, lemon thyme, dried rose and black lemons. This is sold in both 375ml and 750ml sized bottles and is available in several markets across the U.S.

Released in the US in the summer of 2017, Empress 1908 Indigo Gin achieves its indigo blue color with the infusion of butterfly pea blossom. The pH of this blossom is such that the addition of citrus or tonic will change the color of the gin from indigo blue to a light pink. In addition to the butterfly pea blossom and requisite juniper, the gin uses blended tea from Victoria's own Fairmont Empress Hotel. Other botanicals used are grapefruit peel, coriander seed, rose petal, ginger root, and cinnamon bark. All botanicals are organic and the spirit base is non-GMO corn. (SRP $39.99)

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.

Dry Fly Distilling sources the soft white winter wheat used for their vodka and gin from the family-owned Wisota Farm in Eastern Washington. Made in Spokane, their flagship gin includes botanicals grown locally: Washington Fuji apples, coriander, lavender, mint, hops, and juniper berries from Oregon. It is bottled at 40% ABV.