A bit of ‘Monkey Business’ topples Cotswolds from Top Ten

We’ve reviewed many gins since launching Ginblogger just over three years ago and have met some lovely distillers and their teams along the way, as well as sampling the good, the bad and the plain awful concoctions on our gin journey.

To be honest, there really aren’t that many ‘bad’ gins, just some of the sweeter ones which might work well in a cocktail and tend to appeal to younger taste buds than ours.  While the ‘awful’ are a handful of gins which are simply bland, or the botanicals are overpowering – and we’ll often get disagreement from a follower, which is great.

As our blog has developed, we decided to have a ‘Top Ten’ of our favourite gins on our Home Page; making it easy for our readers, hopefully, to pick out what we feel are the very best gins out there.  We both always decide together who is going into this ‘hallowed’ space, trying the gin neat and then with the maker’s suggested mixer.  We both must also agree which to ‘kick out,’ which first happened when G Gin edged out the marmalade Aber Falls.

Quite content with our leader board since July of this year when we were bewitched by Chemist American’s formula, we’ve now had to admit Gutsy Monkey to the list after re-tasting it head-to-head against the previously ranked Cotswolds.  Put it this way, Gin Kitchen’s winter warmer would be in our top five if we had one; so the spirit from our favourite part of the country has to step down.

Gutsy Monkey can be purchased directly from The Gin Kitchen, for £49.      

Our ‘Top Ten’ of the gins we have reviewed to date:

• 6 O’Clock
• G Gin
• Chemist American
• Beast
• Black Dog
• Caorunn
• Gutsy Monkey
• Roku
• Ten Tor Gin
• Twisted Nose