Top Shelf Gin Picks From The Distiller Community

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.

This gin is the result of Watershed Distillery taking their Four Peels Gin -- made with juniper and seven other botanicals -- and aging the spirit in used bourbon barrels.

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.

Hailing from the town of Bend in central Oregon, Oregon Spirit Distillers distills classic styled libations while taking advantage of the region’s winter wheat. The dry gin joins the ranks of Absinthe, Genever, and other yesteryear bar staples and includes this classic London-style botanical build with lots of juniper and coriander bottles at a healthy 92 proof.

San Juan Distilleries is located on the orca-surrounded San Juan Island off of Washington state’s far northwest coast. A vast array of gins and smattering of other spirits with a clear Pacific influence are crafted in a small pot-still in micro batches. The parts of the revealed recipe proudly boasts an American-West-style with traditional components such as juniper, lemon peel, and anise joined by less common ingredients native to the island like blackberry, wild rose, and lavender.

This strikingly ultramarine-colored gin is a homage to the native inhabitants of the United States' Pacific Northwest who perhaps were the first North Americans to infuse various herbs and botanicals into a spirituous concoction. The arresting azure color comes from a maceration of the Blue Centaurea flower native to Europe, but now grown in the northern U.S. and Canada. It is often used for its beautiful color in bouquets and often served on salad or other dishes. Besides the fluorescent-colored flower, the gin’s mash bill is fairly standard London-Dry-style and is distilled from 100% pure grain.

Venus Spirits Gin Blend No. 02 is distilled from wheat and flavored with eight botanicals including cardamom, fennel, coriander, and sage. It is rested in American oak barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.

Venus Spirits Gin Blend No. 01 is distilled from wheat and features a botanical blend of 10 different herbs and spices including ginger, tangerine, licorice root, and lavender. It is bottled at 46% ABV.

Hendrick's Grand Cabaret is the fifth release in the brand's Cabinet of Curiosities series crafted by Master Distiller Lesley Gracie. Here, she was inspired by stone fruit spirits, eaux de vie, peach schnapps and cherry liqueurs which were fashionable in Paris in the early 1900s. Availability in the US begins March 2024. (SRP $39.99)