The Most Wished For Gins Last Week

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.

Isle Of Harris Gin is the inaugural spirit released by Isle of Harris Distillers which opened in 2015. The gin is made with nine botanicals which are steeped in neutral grain spirits, the most notable being sugar kelp which is hand-harvested by a local diver. Other botanicals include juniper, coriander, angelica root, bitter orange peel, orris root, cubeb, cassia bark, and licorice. After the maceration is complete, the sugar kelp is removed and distillation takes place in a copper still named "The Dottach."

Plymouth Navy Strength Gin celebrates the historic nautical legacy in Plymouth that featured organizations and people including the Royal Navy and explorer Sir Francis Drake. It's made with seven botanicals: juniper berries, coriander seed, orange and lemon peel, green cardamom, angelica root, and orris root. It is bottled at 57% ABV.

Beefeater is a London Dry Gin that is actually produced in London; the distillery is located in Kennington just south of the River Thames. It is made from a neutral grain spirit base to which nine botanicals are added and steeped for 24 hours. These botanicals include, in addition to the juniper, coriander seeds, licorice root, citrus peel, and bitter almond. This is then redistilled and reduced to strength with softened water. This 47% ABV is their export strength version. The Beefeater name was chosen as to be something quintessentially London; the Beefeaters, as the Yeomen Warders are called, have been guarding the Tower of London since 1485 and adorn the bottles.

Bombay Sapphire was first introduced in 1987. The bottle's utterly recognizable blue bottle is now an icon and adorned with an image of Queen Victoria. The gin itself is comprised of 10 botanicals which include cubeb berries, almonds, licorice root, and grains of paradise. The botanicals are introduced into the neutral spirit by way of vapor distillation. The botanicals are placed in perforated copper baskets with the vapor of the distillate passing over them. Only water is added to bring down to proof, which for this bottling is 47% ABV.

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.

Waterloo Antique Gin is made using local Texas botanicals and is aged in first-use American white oak barrels for 18-24 months. Bottled at 94 proof after being cut to proof with limestone-filtered Texas spring water, Waterloo Antique Gin is made to be consumed like a whiskey and to be used in whiskey cocktails.

Jinzu Gin, a compound gin with juniper and sake distillate, is the brainchild of bartender Dee Davies, who entered her concept into the Diageo's Show Your Spirit competition of 2013. Jinzu Gin takes its name from the Jinzu river, which flows through the city of Toyama, and is surrounded by cherry blossom trees. It is a blend of sake and English gin consisting of juniper, coriander, angelica, yuzu, and Japanese cherry blossom. Made in Diageo's Cameronbridge Distillery in Scotland and supervised by Tanqueray distiller Tom Nichol, it is bottled at 41.3%

The first gin released by Suntory, the name "Roku" is Japanese for "Six" which refers to the six Japanese botanicals used. Sakura flower (cherry blossoms), sakura leaf (cherry leaf), sencha tea (green tea), Gyokuro tea (refined green tea), sanshō pepper, and yuzu are utilized along with eight other traditional gin botanicals. The gin is distilled using a selection of different pot stills. The label is printed with Japanese washi paper. Roku Gin was released in Japan in July 2017, and is available in the UK, Germany, and Australia. As of October 2018, Roku is available in the US.

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.