The Best Modern Gins

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is produced using twelve botanicals, eight that are traditionally infused and four that are vapor infused. Meadowsweet, sourced in the town of Drumshanbo in Co. Leitrim where the gin is produced, along with cardamom, juniper, coriander, angelica root, orris root, caraway, and star anise all go directly into the copper pot stills. The kaffir lime, oriental grapefruit, Chinese lemon and gunpowder tea are vapor infused.

Hendrick's launched in 2001 and is distilled in Scotland at the Girvan distillery. It is distilled in small batches (500 liters) in two different stills using 11 different botanicals including elderflower, chamomile, and yarrow. One batch is made in a Bennet still which produces a heavier spirit (botanicals are macerated) and one is done in a Carter-head still (botanicals are vapor-infused) which produces a lighter spirit. The two are blended together and then infused with rose and cucumbers. It is then brought down to proof with water.

The Nolet family operates the oldest running distillery in Holland, having produced spirits since 1691. While more known today for producing the Ketel One brand, the distillery recently began producing their own gin style created by Carolus Nolet Sr. and his sons, Carl Jr. and Bob. Nolet's Silver Gin begins with a mash made from European wheat. While the exact botanical recipe is a company secret, it does contain juniper, peach, Turkish rose and raspberry. These botanicals are individually macerated and distilled with the base spirit.

Introduced in late 2016, with its international release delayed until 2017, is this dry-style gin from Japan's first dedicated gin distillery. Master Distiller Alex Davies of the Kyoto Distillery uses a spirit base distilled from rice and adds botanicals like yellow yuzu, hinoki (cypress) wood chips, bamboo, gyokuro tea, and green sanshō (Japanese peppercorn) berries that are designated into: base, citrus, tea, herbal, spice, and floral. Each botanical category is steeped into the rice spirit, which is then individually distilled before blending together. It is brought to proof using water from Fushimi, known for its purity. Ki No Bi translates to "the beauty of the seasons" and is bottled at 45.7% ABV.

Gin fans Matt Jones, Stuart "Stu" Gregor, and Cameron "Cam" MacKenzie founded Four Pillars in 2013 as their way to contribute to Australia's craft spirits industry. They named their distillery after their four pillars approach to gin production - "stills, water, botanicals, and love." This Rare Dry Gin, the distillery's first gin release, celebrates this approach. Beginning with sourced Australian grain spirit, this gin is made with triple-distilled Yarra Valley water and the following botanicals: European juniper berries, Australian lemon myrtle, Tasmanian pepperberry leaf, Yarra Valley lavender, angelica, green cardamom, cassia, coriander, star anise, and organic oranges.

Botanivore is aptly named as this gin most certainly is a "botanical eater", 19 different ones to be exact. Sixteen of them are steeped overnight in a neutral spirit to soak and steep. The remaining three--juniper berries, bay laurel, and fresh cilantro--are placed in a basket within the still to have the vapor pass through them. After pot-distillation, this gin is brought down to 45% ABV. It is sold in a 750ml size and in a 200ml sized bottle, the latter of which is sold in a trio pack with their other two gins.

Nikka Coffey Gin uses a base of corn and malt distillate which were distilled in a Coffey Still as the name suggests. Japanese citrus such as yuzu, kabosu, amanatsu, and shikuwasa, along with sanshō pepper, and apples pair with traditional botanicals of juniper, angelica, coriander, and lemon peel in the production of this gin. Available in Japan beginning in late June 2017 with a wider release expected later that year.

The Botanist Gin is produced by Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay, an island off the west coast of Scotland. In addition to 9 standard botanicals, it's made with 22 wild Islay botanicals that were hand-foraged locally and sustainably. Those botanicals include apple mint, heather, red clover, and meadowsweet among many others. The gin is distilled over 17 hours in a Lomond Still named Ugly Betty. It is bottled at 46% ABV.

An abandoned cheese factory in Isokyrö, Finland has been home to the rye-obsessed Kyrö Distillery Company since 2014. While they waited for their rye whiskey to mature, they keep the stills busy producing new make spirit and rye-based gin like this one. Kyrö Gin (formerly known as Napue Gin) is made from rye grain and distilled with freshly-picked and locally sourced seabuckthorn, wild cranberries, birch leaves, and meadowsweet. The remaining 12 botanicals are undisclosed.

Hailing from Germany’s Black Forest, Monkey 47 is an exotic gin made with a molasses base. The 47 refers to the number of botanicals used which includes such unlikely fruit ingredients like lingonberries, blackberries, and honey pomelo. These are combined with a host of recognizable gin botanicals such as chamomile, sage, angelica, coriander, and a whole array of others. Another anomaly at Monkey 47 is that the distillate is aged in earthenware containers for three months before being brought to 47% ABV with the forest’s celebrated water.