6 Standout Gins From 2025 You Need To Taste And The Tasting Table

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 8:49 AM

6 standout gins from 2025 you need to taste and the tasting table

Gin can be a puzzling liquor, with many cocktail enthusiasts having a love-hate relationship with it. Some find it piney and resinous, others find it overly perfumed and cloying. In contrast, others find it tastes like a medicine cabinet. Gin begins like vodka as a neutral grain spirit from wheat, corn, grapes, or anything you can ferment into alcohol. It's then infused with a mix of botanicals, including the always-present, herbaceous juniper berries, giving it a distinct woodsy, earthy, pine tree quality (in addition to other florals, herbs, spices, teas, and other aromatics). Recently, producers have been working outside the box of a classic gin, crafting modern interpretations that dial back the juniper-heavy flavor to elevate the overall taste.

Six producers released new selections this year that follow that contemporary trend. Made with exotic and aromatic botanicals, these gins push the boundaries of the classic liquor while highlighting a range of flavors that reveal exotic, evocative tastes. I had a chance to try each of the stand out gins of 2025. I sipped each selection neat initially to evaluate, then mixed the gins into an array of drinks to find the ideal expression for each. These bottles will change the way you may drink your evening cocktails, altering familiar flavors to create thought-provoking, intriguing cocktails worthy of a conversation. Utilizing my knowledge and training as a Certified Sommelier, I reviewed each selection while providing the ideal cocktail to showcase the nuances of each option.

Master distiller Leslie Gracie debuted the latest limited edition Oasium gin to her Hendrick's Cabinet of Curiosities in February 2025, which is the eighth expression added to the cabinet. The brand is known for coloring outside the lines with its array of modern, whimsical offerings that challenge the typical juniper-forward, London dry-style gin. The Hendrick's signature gin showcases roses and cucumber, with a mix of 11 additional botanicals including chamomile, elderflower, orange peel, and juniper. And while Hendrick's doesn't disclose the exact blend of botanicals in its new Oasium release, it does note the gin is inspired by a desert oasis; the mix of plants, aromatic herbs, and citrus... Gin has undergone a renaissance over the last several decades, with an unprecedented increase in aroma and taste profiles. At last count, there were over 6,000 gins available worldwide.

Recently, I spoke with Dawn Davies, head buyer at The Whiskey Exchange, the world’s largest online spirits vendor, about her best new gin selections. Here are brief descriptions and tasting notes on her top six recommendations. Bordeaux Distilling Co., a contemporary distillery in Bordeaux, France, established in 2018, is known for its innovative approach to spirit production. Botrytis Old Tom Gin, also known as Noble Rot Old Tom Gin, pays homage to the region’s renowned Sauterne dessert wines produced by the Botrytis cinerea fungus, commonly known as "noble rot." The gin is crafted using seven aromatic plants, emphasizing green cardamom and jasmine botanicals. True to the Old Tom style, this gin is sweetened, but uniquely, the distillery employs Sauterne wine to impart sweetness.

The gin features powerful aromas of white flowers and cardamom on the nose, complemented by subtle hints of fresh citrus. On the palate, the gin presents a harmonious blend of botanical flavors, with green cardamom's spiciness and jasmine's floral notes taking center stage. The sweetness from the Sauterne adds depth and a smooth mouthfeel, enhancing the overall complexity. Gin’s Timeless Appeal: A Journey Worth Savoring What’s the History of Gin and Tonic as a Cocktail? Sipsmith FreeGlider: A Non-Alcoholic Twist

Gin has been captivating drinkers for centuries, evolving from its beginnings as a medicinal tonic to a modern-day favorite for both classic and innovative cocktails. As we look to 2025, gin continues to push boundaries with its versatility, craftsmanship, and cultural significance. Whether it’s the artisanal approach of Sipsmith, the Mediterranean vibrancy of Larios, or the refined elegance of Roku Gin, there’s a gin to suit every palate and occasion. Before we explore the Best Gins to Try in 2025, let’s take a closer look at gin’s fascinating history and the cultural moments that shaped its enduring popularity. For more than a decade, a swell of producers have offered inventive alternatives to traditional London Dry gin, expanding the category with approachable expressions that place less emphasis on piney juniper. Similarly, they’ve looked beyond the classic supporting cast of savory herbs and bitter roots to instead focus on vibrant fruits and expressive flowers, all with the added upshot of delivering a sense of place.

That’s not to say London Dry doesn’t deserve our attention or isn’t worthy of its status as the standard bearer for the category. Without it, there would be no classically made Dry Martinis or Negronis — no bittersweet dance pairing gin’s juniper with tonic’s quinine. Still, modern interpretations from increasingly international producers represent the lion’s share of new products that arrive at the VinePair HQ for our annual gin tasting. Equally refreshing are the newer craft outfits challenging the London Dry stalwarts with their own take on the traditional style. And of that OG old guard: how do they fare against the fresh contenders looking to take their crown? Find out right here in our list of the 30 best gins to drink in 2025.

Every year, VinePair conducts dozens of tastings for our “Buy This Booze” roundups, highlighting the best bottles across the world’s most popular wine and spirits categories. Gin's rise as a spirit sector has been impressive, but the job is really only half done; there are plenty more boxes to tick. It might sound unfair to categorize gin's sharp, sudden and spectacular rise in popularity as a job half done, but it's true. While it has gone through some markets like a steamroller, new heights beckon. The gin market is worth around $20 billion today (depending on which sources you use) and this is slated to rise to $34 billion by 2035. The problem gin has is in identifying which markets are going to be the ones to make that happen and that the very need for new markets can be blamed almost entirely on gin's...

A couple of decades ago, when the spirits boom started, gin made huge inroads in to UK and European markets, particularly Spain. The growth appeared to be endless, with no end of consumers thirsty for new gins, new flavors and new gimmicks. The problem was, there actually was an end to it and that's what those markets are currently dealing with. Those markets began to boom around 10 years ago, but soon reached saturation point. Currently there is something of a backlash from gin-fatigued drinkers, who simply can't face another elderflower-and-blood-orange concotion drenched in "artisan" tonic. Or, as corporates like to say: a "rebalancing".

Ask anyone who’s spent a night debating the merits of a G&T versus a negroni and you’ll soon hit a heated debate over which gin reigns supreme. Gin isn’t some old dusty bottle reserved for granddad—right now, it’s the rockstar of craft spirits. Shelves in both bottle shops and hip bars are stacked with wild, intriguing choices from buttery local labels to icons hailing straight from storied British distilleries. So, how do you actually pick the best gin? Gin’s popularity isn’t some passing fad. Over the last decade, gin has exploded because it’s flexible.

At its base, gin must have that distinct juniper flavor, but distillers everywhere now weave in local botanicals—think citrus peel, pink peppercorns, sea parsley, or even bush tomato (yep, it’s a thing in Australia). Unlike the red tape-heavy world of whiskey, gin can be produced and sold almost immediately, which means new flavors hit the market fast. This ever-evolving spirit has led to a wild assortment of styles. Worldwide gin sales jumped by 9% between 2020 and 2024, according to the IWSR, and Aussies alone consume over 22 million bottles per year, a stat that’ll probably climb again in 2025. One reason for the gin boom? It’s all about cocktails.

London Dry still sets a crisp base for a dry martini, but modern gins are the ideal playground for creative bartenders. Even home gin lovers benefit; a bottle of something like Four Pillars Rare Dry can transform a garden party G&T with citrusy brightness. Plus, as more people demand transparency and local ingredients, boutique distillers answer by telling the stories behind every bottle, drawing folks in for the taste and the narrative. If you’re the type who wants to support small businesses while sipping world-class drinks, gin is your drawcard. So, what actually makes one gin different from the next? It mostly comes down to style and the botanicals used.

At its core, gin is a neutral spirit flavored with juniper berries and a supporting cast of botanicals. Let’s break down the top styles you’ll see at any decent bottle shop or bar: With so many styles, you can pick your bottle based on what you plan to mix—or just vibe with your favorite botanical profile. Gin is what you make of it; play around and don’t believe anyone who acts like there’s one right way to serve it. Part two of The Gin Masters 2025 more than matched the quality of the first event, with Master medals aplenty. Yes, mature gin markets are declining.

But no, gin’s story is not over. There’s a lot of room left to grow for this category – with markets such as Texas, Illinois, New York, and Florida in the US showing positive trends for premium-plus products, IWSR noted in... Texas held the biggest premium-plus share of total gin volumes in 2024 at 36%, IWSR data showed, followed by Illinois (33% share), New York (30%) and Florida (21%). Gin also remains the biggest blind tasting in The Global Spirits Masters Competitions (GSMC) calendar, still meriting two events to account for the volume of entries. The Gin Masters – Second Tasting took place last month at The Singer Tavern in London. Four teams of independent judges were called upon to assess the calibre of entries.

The first panel comprised Ruchira Neotia, drinks presenter, writer and founder of Ruchira’s Table; Emily Webster, senior PR and communications manager at The Whisky Exchange; and Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business magazine,... Group two was chaired by David T Smith, spirits writer, consultant and co-founder of the Craft Distilling Expo. He was joined by Richard Legg, founder of Distilled Knowledge, and Cosmo Boardman, creative director at Moore House Cocktail Co. Bryan Rodriguez-Curtis, spirits buyer at Bottle Apostle, chaired the third team. Also judging in his group were Anne Jones, director of Limestone & Jones, and Tatti Sukamongkol, consumer and on-trade account manager at Wanderlust Wine. Long gone are the days when gin just meant a bracingly dry, predictable, juniper-forward clear spirit that was only used in Martinis and Gin and Tonics.

Nowadays you can find gin made in practically every state in the U.S. and every corner of the world, each expression representing the flavor and character of a particular region through the use of local botanicals (with juniper still playing an important role in the mix, of... For this list, we turned our focus to new-school gins that stand out from the pack. The old guard brands that are made in the London dry style—Beefeater, Gordon’s, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire—are all great, but here you’ll find 13 examples of gins that stand out for their flavor and unique... All of these are great for using in a cocktail, but also worthy of sipping on their own, so give them a try and see what you think for yourself. There are many British gin brands with long histories that span centuries.

Sipsmith is not one of them. This distillery was founded in 2007 with a focus on making London dry gin, and it succeeded in releasing its first expression just two years later. The gin is a modern example of this classic style, with a juniper-forward palate that’s balanced with notes of citrus and spice. This is the perfect spirit to use in any classic or modern cocktail, and one of the very best modern gins that you can find. Glendalough is an Irish distillery that has a variety of good whiskeys in its lineup, but don’t sleep on its gin—particularly this rose petal-infused expression. Wild botanicals from the Wicklow mountains are key to the botanical mixture that flavors this gin, but the main ingredient in this pink spirit is rose that comes from both from the distillery’s gardens...

6 Standout Gins From 2025 You Need To Taste And The Tasting Table

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