Every year, just a few of the very best of each category go head-to-head for our judges to determine the Best Of Class for dozens of spirit categories. Here, our finalists for Best Gin, Best Flavored Gin, Best Old Tom Gin, and Best Barrel-Aged Gin of 2022. Winners will be announced in June.
Best Gin Finalist
Gindu A Coastal Gin
Gindu’s A Coastal Gin uses botanicals from its native Australia like sunrise lime and rainforest lychee to complement the savory notes of coastal rosemary and saltbush. Juniper and citrus dominate on the nose, while the palate is sweet, with a slight earthy note, a bit of wet stone minerality, and a peppery finish.
Best Gin Finalist
Beefeater Monday’s Gin
Beefeater is an instantly recognizable classic. Their new Monday’s Gin is juniper-forward with a noticeable sweetness on the palate. and a long finish with a slight lingering pepperiness.
Best Gin Finalist
GINDOME MerMaid Navy
Estonia’s Hope Distillery produces MerMaid Navy gin as a celebration to all strong women. This Navy Strength Gin is bottled at 58.2%, but drinks smooth and bright, with citrus, juniper, and a creamy finish.
Best Old Tom Gin Finalist
Ægir Bryggeri Happycat Old Tom Gin
Happycat Old Tom Gin comes from a brewery in Norway, that also happens to distill a handful of spirits. This is a drier Old Tom, with subtle wood notes and a bit of sweetness on the finish.
Best Old Tom Gin Finalist
Greenhook Ginsmiths Old Tom
Greenhook Ginsmiths focuses solely on one spirit: gin. Their Old Tom is aged for two years in bourbon casks, then finished in oloroso sherry casks for a cocktail-friendly gin ready for the classics.
Best Flavored Gin Finalist
Elephant Orange Cocoa Gin
Inspired by Africa and distilled in Germany, Elephant’s Orange Cocoa Gin combines zesty notes of orange with dry, velvety flavors of cocoa bean. This provides an extra kick of freshness and complexity and flavor.
Best Flavored Gin Finalist
78 Degrees Sunset Gin
Inspired by the sunset over Australia, Sunset Gin is produced in small batches utilizing grape spirit and vapor distilled to retain delicate flavors and aromas. Botanicals include strawberry gum, bush apple, juniper, and rosella for a fruit-forward gin.
Best Barrel-Aged Gin Finalist
Waterloo Antique Gin
Waterloo ages their Antique Gin like bourbon, for 2 years in new charred American oak in the varied climate of central Texas. The result is an oak-forward take on gin with a long, rich, cinnamon finish.
Best Barrel-Aged Gin Finalist
Hardshore North Oak Gin
Portland, Maine’s Hardshore Distilling Company combines bright, leafy green botanicals and mellow layers of American oak, for an herbaceous flavor and a long, lingering sweet vanilla finish.
