I know, it’s a bit self-indulgent to chat about my personal 2022 Top Gins. Everyone’s all about the gin at the moment – But frankly, I don’t care! The drink I’ve loved for years is suddenly trendy, and that means there’s a whole raft of artisan makers and new flavours for me to try. Bring it on! There have never been so many fabulous gins to choose from – big brand names down to the smaller artisan gins that are popping up all over the place; everyone has upped their game and the choice now is staggering – and perhaps a little bewildering. So I have put together my personal list of 2022 Top Gins to help your Christmas gingle this year.
And if you’re thinking about a last-minute gift, then any one of these bottles will make your gin-loving receiver incredibly happy. You’re very welcome.
This post contains affiliate links – you don’t pay any more, but I may earn a teensy smidge of commission (which frankly just helps my coffee habit). But I never recommend something to you I wouldn’t recommend to my sister. And yes, I do love my sister.
2022 Top Gins – No.3 London Dry Gin, 70 cl
It’s a classic, and in my 2022 Top Gins for very good reason (and not just that beeyootiful bottle). This one’s my go-to staple. The most refreshing balance of three key flavours: Juniper, Citrus and Spice. The only gin to be awarded World’s Best Gin four times. It took Berry Bros. & Rudd two years to create this masterpiece, working with master distillers, top mixologists, and Dr. David Clutton – the only person in the world to have a PhD in gin. Berry Bros. & Rudd spent months selecting the very best botanicals to create a truly classic London Dry Gin, With just the right amount of coriander, angelica root, cardamom, grapefruit peel, sweet orange peel and – of course – juniper. To meet their exacting standards, the spirit and botanicals are distilled in a unique 100-year-old, brick-encased copper pot still in Holland – the home of gin. With the best ingredients, the know-how of the world’s leading gin experts, and perseverance, No.3 Gin was created. The perfect choice for the most refreshing gin and tonic, or clean, crisp martini. Gin, just as it should be – 2022 Top Gins
No.3 London Dry Gin, 70 cl Available on Amazon for £29
Bombay Sapphire Star of Bombay Gin, 70 cl
Star of Bombay Gin is slow-distilled during the vapour infusion process, which gives it an extraordinary smoothness. Star of Bombay Gin’s ambrette and bergamot botanicals round off its flavour profile with floral and citrus notes. this fabulous Gin is a higher ABV (47.5%) than normal London Dry Gins, enabling it to express its full potential. This Gin gets its name from the famous 182-carat ‘Star of Bombay’ jewel worn by Hollywood movie royalty.
2022 Top Gins – the Bombay Sapphire Star of Bombay Gin, 70 cl is available on Amazon for £24
Roku Gin, 70 cl
Roku is Japanese for six and the gin is named after the six natural Japanese botanicals that Roku is made with – which take you on a tour of the Japanese seasons.
Spring is represented by both Sakura (cherry blossom) flowers & leaves, Natsu (Japan’s Summer) provides the Sencha & Gyokuro (two types of green tea), Autumn brings the Japanese pepper and Winter, the Yuzu.
The eclectic mix of botanicals results in a spirit with rich character. Notes of cherry blossom are quickly followed by green tea, smokey leaves and a light bitter finish. Unusual and unexpected, this is a must-try for any gin lover, and the Japanese rice paper label makes it a classy and smart addition to the gin shelf.
Cheapest place for Roku gin is ASDA this year, at £25 for the bottle
Whitley Neill Lemongrass & Ginger Gin, 70 cl
My current obsession – Malfy’s Italian Blood Orange gin. It’s amazing. Trust me.
Juniper, Sicilian Blood Oranges & 6 other Botanicals. MALFY Con Arancia’s key botanical additions are blood orange peels sourced from Sicily. Blood oranges are a prized variety in Sicily and are harvested in November. Their rich red colour develops from the cool Mediterranean nights. The peels are steeped in the alcohol and then pressed in a basket press. The infusion is then blended with juniper and other botanicals before being distilled in a stainless steel vacuum still.
NOW tell me you don’t need a bottle right this minute…
Available from Amazon the Malfy Blood Orange Italian Gin, 70 cl is £24
2019 Top Gins – G12 Gin by Masons (at Aldi!)
It’s Lidls gin – Hortus – and it’s so so good! Delicately infused with 7 carefully selected botanicals. For this small batch gin the botanicals are added by hand, left to steep for at least 8 hours then distilled to reveal sweet floral and citrus notes typical of English summer’s day.
Hortus consistently wins awards, and rightly so – when budget’s are tight, this is just £16 for a full sized bottle – there are flavoured variations, whoch are all good too, but for me the Hortus os such a beautifully balanced, light and airy drink on its own it doesn’t need help except for a decent tonic.
Hortus Artisan Citrus Garden Gin is just £16, in store only at Lidl.
Gooseberry Gin Liqueur 17%
If you’ve not met Demijohn yet, you should go intriduce yourself – they’re the first ‘liquid deli’, and all their gins and gin liqueuers come in whatever shaed bottle you schoose, simply plabelled by being handwritten on. They’re not only joyous to look at (my gin shelf looks like an apothecary shop), but the flavours are amazing.
This wonderful Gooseberry Gin Liqueur (my tip top fave) is smooth and fruity; make a long drink with tonic or lemonade, but I love it neat, simply poured over a lot of ice. Gooseberries may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but there is something original about this Gooseberry Gin which makes it positively irresistible.
Available from The Demijohn Co this Gooseberry Gin Liqueur 17% starts at just over £22 for a 370ml bottle
Tanqueray Sevilla Gin 70Cl
A new discovery for me this year – the classic Tanqueray London Gin, but added to the bittersweet Seville Oranges. Fruity & zesty, this taste of the sun-soaked Mediterranean is a uniquely enjoyable yet complex gin. Tanqueray flor de Sevilla – serve with premium tonic water and to garnish squeeze a wedge of fresh orange and place in the glass.
This fab Tanqueray Sevilla Gin 70Cl is currently on offer at Tesco for just £20 if you have a clubcard
The Port of Leith Distillery Lind & Lime Gin 70cl
Okay. Firstly… oh me, oh my, that bottle!
Secondly – ye gods it tastes goo-o-od. Lind & Lime Gin is a Scottish gin, produced by The Port of Leith Distillery at their Tower Street Stillhouse in Leith, Edinburgh. It is a benchmark London Dry style – a delicate balance of juniper and lime with the gentle spice of pink peppercorns. It is honestly crisp, refreshing and frankly delicious.
The Port of Leith Distillery Lind & Lime Gin, 70cl is £38 at John lewis.
Plymouth Gin 70Cl
The Original Strength English Gin – you can’t not have a bottle of Plymouth on the 2019 Top Gins. The award-winning gin has been distilled using the same blend of seven exotic botanicals, soft Dartmoor water and pure grain alcohol since 1793. Produced in small batches only three times a week at England’s oldest operating gin distillery, specially crafted by a master distiller to delicately combine orris root with handpicked juniper from a single harvest day in the mountains of Frontignano, Italy.
Enjoy the gin’s smooth, creamy and bold juniper profile in a pink G&T inspired by Italy – with a dash of Italian bitters and a twist of Sicilian lemon.
Plymouth Gin 70Cl perfect for citrus martini’s on offer at Tesco for £20 if you have a clubcard
Bruichladdich The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, 70cl
Created at the Bruichladdich distillery, this superb Islay gin was distilled in the ‘Ugly Betty’; still described as “an oversized upside-down dustbin made of copper” by Tom Morton. Perhaps the best looking packaging we’ve ever seen for a gin – it’s not all style and no substance either. This is a world-class gin, at a proper ABV.
A huge 31 botanicals go into The Botanist, including some native to Islay. The full list of botanicals is as follows: angelica root, apple mint, birch leaves, bog myrtle leaves, cassia bark, chamomile, cinnamon bark, coriander seed, creeping thistle flowers, elder flowers, gorse flowers, heather flowers, hawthorn flowers, juniper berries, lady’s bedstraw flowers, lemon balm, lemon peel, liquorice root, meadow sweet, orange peel, oris root, peppermint leaves, mugwort leaves, red clover flowers, tansy, thyme leaves, water mint leaves, white clover, wood sage leaves.
The Bruichladdich The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, 70cl available on Amazon for £38
Warners Honeybee Gin
Released in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society to protect our pollinators, Warner’s Honeybee Gin is crafted with 28 botanicals, including lavender, rose and a dollop of honey from the farm’s own beehives.
For a perfect G&T, serve our Honeybee Gin with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic water, garnish with a slice of lemon or fresh sage leaves, then raise a glass: to craft, to the land, to laughter, and loved ones – 43% ABV.
Warners Honeybee Gin available direct from Warners £38 for a 70cl bottle
Top Gins to help make your Christmas Gingle – Craft Gin Tasting Set
Not sure which Gin is the right one for you? Then this fab little set from Drinks by the Dram may just be the thing for you. It would certainly make the ideal gift for the avid Gin lover. This Craft Gin Tasting Set, features five different 3cl drams of gin from some incredibly talented distillers. Definitely amonth 2019 Top Gins just because you get to try a variety of top craft distilled drams to find your own preference. Such a neat idea.
The Craft Gin Tasting Set from Drinks by the Dram is just under £27
And last but not least; my not-a-gin perfect gin choice; you need this in the cupboard for the perfect Martini!
Dolin Chambery Vermouth
A unique white wine aperitif from Savoie in France, made with a blend of local herbs. The perfect ingredient for a Gin Martini.
Dolin Chambery Vermouth available from Waitrose and Partners for just over £10
Cheers everyone!
