9 Gins Good Enough To Drink Straight

If you didn't know, gin is in. Consumers are looking for premium-quality, craft liquor options with a unique flavor profile. They are interested in liquors that use non-traditional botanicals that bring a sense of place, highlighting local terroir by using regionally sourced ingredients, summarizing the basis of modern gin. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States reports that in 2024, distillers generated nearly a billion dollars in gin sales, with the super-premium category thriving, increasing by 187% since 2019. 

Gin is a lower sugar spirit in comparison to some other liquors, and, while the base is juniper, modern gin features bold and distinctive flavors. In addition to using a wide variety of uncommon botanicals, distilleries incorporate various production styles to help preserve not only the flavors and complexity of the ingredients, but also their freshness. The essential oils in the mix of botanicals will also impart more than flavor, as the oils add richness and texture to the palate. 

Within the category, there is a range of options that are delicious when sipped on their own. Each allows the delicate mix of botanical flavors to shine without hiding behind a full-flavored mixer, including all nine options featured in this review. To select these gins, I utilized my skills, training, and knowledge gained as a Certified Sommelier and long-time spirits writer that allowed me to taste-test a range of products and create a trustworthy final list.

Many gins include a vast array of botanicals, giving them a multitude of aromas, textures, and flavors. Still, few include as many as Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry gin. From Germany's Black Forest, this is a classic London dry style that remains completely unique thanks to the 47 hand-picked, local botanicals that go into the blend. With a molasses base, the blend includes lingonberries, citrus peel, spruce buds, and juniper, to name a few. Each batch undergoes a series of production steps to create its multi-layered flavor, including maceration, distillation, percolation, and oxidation, followed by storage in earthenware vessels for 100 days to allow the flavors to meld together harmoniously. 

Each year Monkey 47 crafts its limited-edition, small-batch Distiller's Cut, adding a 48th ingredient. The 2025 Fleur de Sel edition includes hand-harvested sea salt from Camargue in southern France. The area is known for its pink flamingos and equally pink salt marshes. This prized sea salt contains a lively pink alga known as Dunaliella salina that is packed with antioxidants.

As salt elevates a drink by enhancing gin's natural fruity and floral qualities, including this prized salt in the liquor's base creates balance with clean refinement that oozes straight from the bottle. Fragrant juniper and licorice meld with tart berry, citrus, herbs de Provence, pepper spice, and a touch of briny salinity. The palate is abundant, yet clean, which makes this gin a delicious option served chilled, straight up in a martini glass.

Placing distilled gin in a barrel to age isn't the most common practice. Part of gin's allure is its refreshing quality, which dances across your palate. However, Australia's Four Pillars Distillery with its limited-release Whiskey Barrel Gin shows why more distilleries should be producing barrel-aged gin 

The production begins with Four Pillars' high-proof, highly contemporary Rare Dry gin. The wheat-based, New Age gin combines nine locally sourced and international botanicals, including juniper from Macedonia, Vietnamese star anise, cassia from Sri Lanka, and Australian lavender, oranges, and coriander. To create barrel-aged version, Four Pillars ages gin in old chardonnay oak barrels for a minimum of nine years, followed by two years of additional maturation in ex-bourbon barrels procured from Kentucky's Four Roses Distillery. 

The result is an amber colored sipping gin that can stand next to any barrel aged whiskey. While the botanical notes are apparent, they are not overpowering. Instead, the rich aromas and flavors that barrel aging imparts into liquor come through. These caramel, spiced vanilla, dried fruits, and toasty oak characteristics meld with the botanicals to create a distinct gin that is best sipped in a tumbler glass with a single large ice sphere, similar to the right way to drink whiskey. Four Pillars cask strength gin's alcohol content is high. With 56.8% alcohol-by-volume, the gin packs a punch on the palate, so sip it slowly to enjoy its generous abundance fully.

Sovereign Brands released the original McQueen and the Violet Fog gin in 2019, followed by the Ultraviolet Edition in 2023. Balancing between being slightly medicinal and rock candy sweet, this eye-catching gin with a vibrant purple hue combines the classic elements of a traditional juniper-forward gin intertwined with fruity, floral flavors. It combines the brand's signature gin made with a sugar cane base and a mix of 21 botanicals. The gin is distilled in small batches in copper pots, helping retain aromatic appeal while showcasing a rich, viscous texture.  

In the Ultraviolet Edition, Sovereign Brands adds hibiscus flowers and ripe berries to a mix of international botanicals that includes lemongrass, pomelo, star anise, rosemary, and jasmine. The berries and hibiscus lend a zesty, tart pop of ripe cranberry and sweet blackberry and a tropical floral note to the gin's citrusy, peppery, and earthy character. The gin also contains carmine, helping to produce the dazzling color that transforms from purple to pink with the addition of tonic or citrus. 

The gin balances complexity and silky, well-rounded smoothness. The Brazilian liquor coats the palate, with every sip revealing something different, creating exploration within every glass. Taking its name from a poem about a fictional rock band, this out-of-the-ordinary label keeps your interest piqued. And, while this feature is about drinking, the elegant bottle design and striking color will add an attractive touch to your bar cart.

When Hendrick's came on the scene, modern gin was more of a novelty. Although many brands are now reinventing what we think of as gin, in 1999, when the distillery crafted the first bottles of Hendrick's original gin, New Western Gin was a completely new category. To this day, Hendrick's Gin remains a bartender's favorite for its refreshing flavor profile, highlighting cucumber and rose. The brand went through 21 different recipes and multiple production processes to create the final blend. Utilizing two different types of stills, the brand is able to achieve a variety of flavors, aromas, and textures. Hendrick's blends spirits from the two distillations and then adds the fresh essence of cucumber and rose, creating the liquor that sets the brand's original gin apart. 

Hendrick's botanicals include Bulgarian Damask rose petals and fresh cucumber as the dominant flavor profile, with 11 additional herbs, flowers, and spices, including chamomile, coriander seeds, cubeb berries, orange peel, and juniper. The flavor is fresh and bright, with floral-forward, herbaceous, and citrus notes. While the rose is dominant, it is not overpowering the palate. Instead, there is a lovely potpourri of flowers, soft herbs, and spices that meld with the clean cucumber and citrus taste.

Serve over ice with a slice of fresh cucumber to bring out the gin's refreshing character. Alternatively, use an edible flower garnish, such as borage that adds a pop of blueish hue to your glass and imparts a flavor quite similar to cucumber.

At the heart of gin is juniper berry, a highly aromatic herb that was initially used to infuse wine distillates in the 11th century that were mainly used for medicinal purposes. Benedictine monks gathered the berries from the hills of Salerno, Italy, to create their tonics. Similar to the historic monks, Ireland's Glendalough brings the art of foraging to life with its Wild Botanical gin. 

Glendalough's full-time forager, Geraldine Kavanagh, scours the forest floor of the Wicklow Mountains to find the gin's medley of ingredients, such as wood sorrel, hawthorn, Scots pine, wild rose, blackberry leaves, and licorice root. The resulting highly aromatic gin is herbaceous, floral, and woodsy with an aroma that reminds me of walking through a forest of pine trees after a rain shower. The palate is warm and earthy, revealing layers of wildflowers, lemon citrus, and black pepper, with heavy green notes of freshly mowed grass, wild herbs, pine resin, and an ever-present juniper note. While the gin is modern in style, it retains classic gin character thanks to its earthy, herbaceous qualities.

Adding a citrus squeeze helps lift the palate and further enhance its freshness. Optionally, serve well-chilled with a sprig of rosemary. Adding rosemary to gin cocktails will bring out the dominant earthy green qualities in the gin.

Along with the trend toward enjoying unique, non-traditional liquors that pack bold flavor, consumers want low-sugar liquors from brands that prioritize sustainability. Holistic Spirits Company's Harmony gin offers a bold flavor and a drink that's less harmful for you or the planet than your regular brand. This gin is crafted with a zero-waste, eco-conscious approach at its USDA-certified green distillery. Founded by Amy Holmwood and actor Woody Harrelson, the brand creates its sugar-free Harmony gin with a corn base infused with 11 organic, non-GMO ingredients, including artichoke leaf, elderberry, muscadine grape, and green tea leaf extract. To this, it adds classic ingredients such as orris root, lemon peel, and juniper berries. 

The liquor is distilled 11 times, which could potentially strip it of its flavor. However, the gin's robust floral, citrus, and juniper flavors remain prominent and the complexity of the multi-layered spirit remain. This gin has more juniper-forward character, which gin purists will appreciate. Still, a fragrant potpourri of wildflowers, refreshing lemon, spicy ginger, earthy artichoke, and green tea come through, balancing the piney juniper. It has a flavor that is utterly unique yet intriguing, easily enjoyed on its own over ice. Add a squeeze of lemon and a lemon twist to further enhance the fresh citrus notes while looking pretty with the gin's inviting orangish-rose color.

Nolet's Silver gin is a distinctly modern, aromatic, and luxurious gin. It's made at one of Holland's oldest distilleries by the same family who owns Ketel One Vodka. The juniper in this premium gin is subtle, masked by the fresh flavors of the botanical blend. Nolet's Silver includes three dominant botanicals: aromatic Turkish rose that lends fresh, floral character, raspberry that introduces tangy and tart red berry notes, and ripe peaches that provide sweet stone fruit flavor. These components meld with Nolet's secret botanical blend of herbs, spices, flowers, and fruit to deliver a well-rounded, balanced spirit with a contemporary edge. 

When the Nolet family launched Nolet's Silver in 2010 – after seven years of recipe development – New World gin was still emerging. Brothers Carl Nolet Jr. and Bob Nolet focused on flavors and aromas that appealed to them when working towards the gin's creation, finding that various fruits and flowers would enhance the spirit's character while remaining authentic with the juniper core. The result is a gin that would appeal to a broad range of palates, even those, like Nolet Jr, who did not think they liked gin. While Nolet's Silver can easily find its way into a gin and tonic, the floral-forward liquor shines on its own, poured simply over ice or with a splash of water, helping to open the fruity flavors and fragrant rose aromas.

Four Pillars earns two spots on this list, and this time with its juicy, fruity, highly aromatic Bloody Shiraz Gin. The second you open the bottle of this garnet-purple beauty aromas of dried cranberry, fresh citrus, ripe red grapes, wild herbs, and barrel spice welcome you. From there, the textured, mouth-coating, almost creamy palate reveals a mix of alluring tastes. The flavor begins with jammy shiraz grapes, dried citrus peel, red berries, crushed peppercorn, and gingerbread spice that mixes with mild, piney juniper rounding out the flavors. 

There is a sweetness to the gin, but not a sugary sweetness. Instead, it is the taste of fully ripened grapes imparted by a high-alcohol wine, which is a trait of many Australian shiraz wines. Similar to the Whiskey Barrel Aged Gin, Four Pillars begins with Rare Dry gin that is used to steep Yarra Valley grapes for eight weeks before pressing. To adjust the spirit, this juicy base is mixed with additional Rare Dry gin.

Gin purists will likely not enjoy this gin as it has more similarities to a sweet vermouth than a classic gin. However, the taste is light, fresh, and epicurean, with a luscious palate that is best enjoyed sipped well-chilled over ice, which is the right way to drink gin. You can also skip gin and vermouth in your next negroni cocktail and only add Bloody Shiraz Gin with the classic Campari.

For lovers of clean, straightforward, no-nonsense cocktails with minimal ingredients, consider sipping a classic dirty martini using Quattro Gatti Olive Grove Gin. Perhaps the best thing about this gin is that you can forgo the dry vermouth and olive brine, as no other ingredients are needed. The gin has all the bitterness and sweetness that vermouth typically provides, along with olive-rich, umami savoriness. 

The gin uses a mix of olives, olive leaves, and olive oil from olive trees growing in Italian Umbria. Although Umbria is not among the two regions that produce the most olive oil in Italy, it is home to many olive trees, with massive groves throughout the region. Quattro Gatti distills its Olive Grove Gin with olives, along with lemon, artichoke, thyme, coriander, and Italian juniper to create an herbaceous, earthy gin. The fragrant, savory spirit opens with fresh citrus blossom, woody herbs, and olives with an underlying juniper note. In addition to the wonderful savoriness of the gin, the texture is well-rounded and creamy, coating the palate with the silky richness of olives and oil. If you enjoy a subtle olive flavor, and you allow the taste of a high-quality gin to shine, you are set with Quattro Gatti's selection.

In producing this list of recommended options, I drew upon my 20+ years of experience and training as a Certified Sommelier and spirits writer who has had a long love affair with a modern-style gin. I prefer a gin with a lighter juniper profile. Still, each selection in this listing allows the earthy, pine-resin quality of juniper berries to come through, ensuring that it is unquestionable that you are drinking gin. Still, some do so on the softer side.  

After taste-testing over a dozen gins I narrowed down this list to nine that can truly stand on their own without needing a heavy mixer to hide behind. I did not account for the overall alcohol content, although I do note it when describing a few options for reference. I selected each of the noted options strictly based on the flavor. Each is unique and can be sipped chilled or over ice. Many are perfect on their own while some need nothing more than a citrus twist to deliver a fully satisfying palate.