Gins – the 20 best gins

Words by Simon Difford

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It seems that not a day goes by without yet another new gin being launched. Some are rubbish, most are OK or even good, and a rare few truly standout – those gins we rate 5+.

Back in July 2017, when the gin boom was still at base camp, we created this page to select our 20 favourites. Now we're in a new decade and the gin boom has reached the summit so I thought I'd update this page with my own personal top 20 gins.

We rate gins and indeed every other product on this site with a score out of five, with some exceptional tasting products that also have great packaging, provenance and integrity, distinguished by a 5+ rating. We presently have more than 35 gins we rate as 5+. There was a time when I could proudly say that I had personally sampled every gin of note made globally but as the numbers of gins have exploded that has become an impossible quest. However, the following 20 are gins that I know well and rate as my favourites.

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1. Adnams First Rate Gin

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2. Beefeater 24 Gin

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3. Brentingby Gin

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4. Brookies's Byron Dry Gin

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5. Caorunn Gin

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6. City of London Christopher Wren Gin

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7. Copperhead Gin The Gibson Edition

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8. Cotswolds Dry Gin

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9. Fords Gin

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10. Gretchen Distilled Gin

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11. Haymans English Cordial Gin

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12. No. 209 Gin

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13. No. 3 London Dry Gin

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14. Plymouth Original Strength Gin

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15. Rutte Celery Gin

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16. Anno Kent Dry Gin

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17. Sipsmith London Dry Gin

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18. Stranger & Sons Gin

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19. Tanqueray London Dry Gin

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20. Tosolini GinT

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