GIN! Best value or recommended please.

[WildRosie]

My G&T season starts on 1st April so I'd be interested to know what's good and what's best avoided. My regular go-to is Tanqueray at 43% and it's usually discounted somewhere local. Are there any others of a similar style and price, apart from Beefeater and Morrison's Best ? I prefer a straightforward gin to those with additional flavourings and umpteen botanicals.

Thankyou.

Mermaid gin from the Isle of Wight is bloody delicious, Ocado sell it. The pink Mermaid is also lovely but Ocado don't sell that one. Rock Rose is also lovely.

Bulldog gin is amazing and my go to. Xx

Afallon and Aber Falls.

I like to stick to local.

Harris gin is amazing and the bottle is lovely too!

You could always buy an over-proof vodka and make your own, OP.
Just add juniper, lemon peel, coriander or whatever you like to flavour it. Infuse it for a few days.
I think you can even get packs of various botanicals or flavourings, with instructions.

@Charmatt

Harris gin is amazing and the bottle is lovely too!

You are right....My friend has a lamp made from a Harris gin bottle....It’s stunning....never tasted the gin though....think it’s one of the more expensive ones?

Harris, Botanist, Mermaid, Caorunn, and a Welsh one I can’t remember the name of, are all really good with Fevertree tonic, full fat one.

I really like Hendricks. Gin Mare is next on my list to try.

I work in the drinks industry and have a garage full of all the brands you mention and lots more besides.
Regret that I simply cannot bear the taste of any of these ., or indeed any spirits .
It’s such a waste .( I’m clearly in the wrong job 😩)
I donate them to charity raffles etc and hand out to my friends and neighbours .

I’m genuinely fascinated at how much people genuinely enjoy the taste and get such pleasure from a wee tipple 😊

Most I can ever manage is a glass of red wine twice a year ..

I dread when I have to attend the gin festivals and smile while even hating the smell 🤣

Caorunn Raspberry is selling very well at the moment and they are working on citrus flavours .
Beefeater 24 is also well quoted as lovely in the industry.

Sorry I’m probably not much help .

But cheers 🥂 to you all anyway .!!

@chocolatesaltyballs22

If you know anyone going to Spain, Larios is cheap as chips and lovely. No flavourings, just bloody good gin.

I was going to say Larios as well. I like Spanish gins as well as London gins

I personally do not like the fruit flavoured gins at all. I do not see the point of them as if you wanted fruit flavouring, surely you just add the required fruit/ fruit flavouring to a normal gin.

I love bathtub gin

Drunshanbo Gunpowder Gin is gorgeous, and comes in a lovely bottle.

I’m happy also with a Gordon’s or Hendricks.

@Mum2jenny

I personally do not like the fruit flavoured gins at all. I do not see the point of them as if you wanted fruit flavouring, surely you just add the required fruit/ fruit flavouring to a normal gin.

The thing is that flavoured gins vary enormously. Some of them are really quite subtle. Others - like Gordons Pink (sorry @Kitkat151) - are really not. It's like drinking artificially flavoured squash.

Another one for Bathtub, although it’s rather pricey. My usual go to is Bombay Sapphire.

My first choice is Tanq 10 so similar simple gin palate. I also like Hendricks.

What do you drink from October to March?

I adore Bombay Sapphire with Fevertree Mediterranean tonic. Delicious

I generally get Tanqueray from the supermarket ranges. I don't like the flavoured gins.

I also don't drink gin in the winter - it's whisky all the way (although I last longer in the autumn).

I like citrussy, clean-tasting gins.

Basic cooking gin is Sainsbury's TTD London Dry or Tanqueray.

For fancier, I love Roku, Martin Miller, Tanqueray 10 and Tanqueray Rangpur.

Oh, and Aviation Gin is one of the nastiest drinks I've ever tried. It tastes of rubber.

Cuckoo solace is my favourite and they also do cuckoo signature is a London dry gin

Mermaid.

Gordon's pink and lemon gins should be fired directly into the sun. Fucking awful stuff.

Yep

Their original green is superb and very underrated. Yes to PP who mentioned mixers. You can have the finest gin in the world but if you mix it with piss like Schweppes then you might as well bin it. Fever Tree is very good.

Absolutely agree with these statements. I have done a few blind gin tastings with friends over the years, and Gordon’s gin always comes out well. It has a distinct juniper taste, which is why I like it (and why flavoured gins are a crime against gin and only fit for people who don’t like gin IMO).

Aldi’s Topaz Blue gin is a good dupe for Bombay Sapphire. I like the sound of their Haysmith’s gin, so thank you for the recommendations.

Can I move next door to you @babbi?

Is there anywhere where I can buy miniature bottles of some of the more expensive gins so that I can try them out first?

Salcombe Gin is very nice.