Our Top Five French Gins

Citadelle Gin was created in 1989 by Alexandre Gabriel, owner of Maison Ferrand better known for its Pierre Ferrand Cognac and Plantation Rum brands. The base of the gin is made from a neutral wheat spirit and a total of 19 botanicals are incorporated. These include: juniper, violet root, coriander, almond, lemon rind, orange peel, angelica, cardamom, cassia bark, cinnamon, licorice, grains of paradise, cubeb, cumin, savory, star anise, nutmeg, fennel and orris root. Bottled at 44% ABV. Please note: Packaging update spring 2018.

Gabriel Boudier's Saffron Infused Gin is distilled in Dijon, France. The list of botanicals includes juniper, coriander, lemon, orange peel, angelica seeds, iris, fennel, and, of course, saffron.

Produced at the Maison Villevert estate in the Cognac region of France, it may come as no surprise to learn that G'Vine gin uses a base spirit distilled from grapes. Of the two varieties of G'Vine gin are produced, Floraison ("Flowering" in French) uses a larger amount of vine flower - grape vine flowers that have yet to mature into grapes - than its sister gin product. Along with the aforementioned vine flower, nine additional botanicals - juniper, lime, licorice, green cardamom, quassia amara, ginger root, coriander, nutmeg and cubeb berries - are also added. Each botanical is macerated and distilled individually with the base spirit. The individual botanical distillates, along with additional neutral grape spirit, are blended together and distilled again to create the final gin product.

Produced at the Maison Villevert estate in the Cognac region of France, G'Vine gin is unique in that it's made with a base spirit distilled from grapes. Of the two marques of G'Vine, G'Vine Nouaison ("setting" in French) uses a smaller amount of vine flower - grape vine flowers that have not yet matured into grapes - in its production than its sister gin bottling. Along with vine flower, nine other botanicals - juniper, lime, licorice, green cardamom, quassia amara, ginger root, coriander, nutmeg and cubeb berries - are also used as ingredients. Each botanical is macerated and distilled individually with the base spirit, which are then blended together and, along with additional neutral grape spirit, distilled one more time before being bottled at 43.9% ABV.

Released in 2013, Diplôme Dry Gin is made with a recipe originally created in 1945 at the end of World War II. The gin soon became the official gin of American Army troops stationed throughout Europe. Distilled in the city of Dijon, this gin is made with eight botanicals: juniper berries, coriander, whole lemons, orange peel, angelica, saffron, iris root, and fennel seed. The botanicals are macerated in a beetroot spirit before being distilled and bottled at 44% ABV.