+1 on the Monkey 47. Never heard of the stuff until a couple of weeks ago. Was introduced to it by a Level 3 Sommelier in of all place the Maldives. Splash of grapefruit juice with muddled blueberries and some ice was great in the warm weather. Was looking forward to trying it neat in the cold weather I arrived back to in N Texas but can't find it anywhere even at the high prices.

Tanqueray is all my FIL will drink and Mrs BamaVol likes to offer him a martini whenever he visits, so I have to stock it. I only drink an occasional G&T and it works fine. Just not my favorite. If I have a second bottle of gin it is Hendricks or Bombay Saphire.

Favorite Gin
 

Any thoughts on The Botanist? It's an Islay gin. Was on the shelf next to the Hendrick's I bought last week.

Another vote for Tanqueray here.

Does anybody know if they stock it at the duty free shop at MCO ?

+1. Additionally, I can not stand Bombay Sapphire.. something in there that tickles me the wrong way. So sad since many "better" lounges/airlines in C use bombay sapphire...

We should do a gin-awareness group to fight for at least a choice of two gins.. the difference in flavor can be huge, so well worth it.. :D:D

I am quite a G&T fan myself. My favourites are:

- Martin Miller's
- 209
- The Duke (Munich Gin)
- Hendricks
- Citadelle

Favorite Gin
 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Mayfair gin. It's out of the UK somewhere, but also available in the states. Good stuff. Mellow flavor.

Not a gin connoisseur but I found Hendricks quite tasty, better than Bombay.

I recently received a bottle of Gin Mare from a Spanish colleague (furnished as evidence that not all spanish gin is as dull as Larios) and it's fabulous. It has a peculiar savoury note, which I believe is from olives, that works surprisingly well. Drinking it at the moment as a G&T but I can see it working really well in a martini also.

I also recently finished a bottle of Sipsmith VJOP (Very Junipery Over Proof), which made a great G&T but could've knocked out a horse as a martini or negroni.

I tend to have one nice gin and one house gin on the go. House gin for us is generally Beefeater, with the exception of when the Father in Law visits and insists upon Gordon's (he arrives with a couple of bottles and leaves what he doesn't finish so I can't complain).

Always Sapphire Gin. Specifically, a Sapphire martini with 2 blue cheese olives. That always makes me feel more at home regardless of where I am at. :)

Gin Mare is excellent, very dry, makes perfect martinis. Lately I was surprised by a portuguese gin called Sharish - 5 stars! Google it as its hard to find.

Best gin bar I know is located in Porto, Portugal https://www.facebook.com/theginhouse?fref=nf , over 200 different gins from all around the world and great bartenders !

Love Sapphire especially with Blue Cheese stuffed olives -but Hendricks is really growing on me. Even tried the cucumber garnish :)

How is it that I've been on flyertalk all these years and never noticed this thread (I don't come into this forum very much)

Ahhh Gin....I love it as much as I love airplanes and jazz (I was a jazz studies major).

I'm not going to narrow this down to just one but will list several that I'm drinking right now. Also, I'm not sure I'm allowed to post this link but there is a really good gin blog, where I've gotten a lot of ideas to purchase my latest bottles. theginisin.com

I'm in the U.S. so you'll see more craft gin's from here. But, I can't wait to try others from around the world.

Plymouth: I like it. What a wonderful everyday gin. It's great in a G&T and I just finished a bottle last night (no I didn't drink the whole bottle in one night).

Green Hat Gin - Winter Ginavet - This is from Washington, DC, where I live, so not sure you can find it elsewhere. Wow...this is such a unique wonderfully flavored gin. Don't mix it with tonic. Enjoy it neat or I like to have 1 ice cube...it's a great night cap. It's readly available in the bars in DC, so if you are in the area, have one!

Blue Water Distilling (Washington State) Halycon Gin: If you live in the NW, do yourself a favor and grab this bottle. It makes an incredible G&T with Fever Tree. My wonderful wife ordered me 2 bottles for x-mas. Shipping wasn't cheap but it's worth it.

Barr Hill Gin (Vermont): This is another gin I like neat or with 1 ice cube. There is a hint of honey in the gin that creates a wonderful smooth finish. It's not sweat but has a really nice balance. Another unique gin that I love to have around.

My next purchase will be:
Martin Miller Westbourn Strength (which I can't find around here). I'm going to pick up a non westbourn strength, which is easy to find for me.
St. Geogre Dry Rye Gin
Plymouth: I better keep a bottle around the house

Wish List:
Vor (Iceland) not available in the US yet: I have a friend going in a couple of weeks and have asked for him to bring me a bottle
Ive City Gin (Washington, DC): It's not out yet but am anxious to have another local gin

Admittingly, I went to the blog I posted above and am trying the gins that are rated 5 starts; it's good fun.

I do like Hendricks but having fun trying other stuff.

Like ck777, I can't believe I've missed a gin thread too.

Tanqueray Ten gin is my preferred martini gin. Dry, with two lightly brined manzanilla olives (unpitted). Stunning, and quickly draws the martini veil over the world.

I tried Monkey47 neat recently and loved it as a digestive gin.

Regular Tanqueray gin works well in a G&T. Fever Tree Tonic (the blue label "lightly sweetened" variety) is my preferred tonic water, but that variety can be hard to come by.

Hendricks gin is also very good.

One that hasn't been mentioned on here so far...

Recently picked up a bottle of Nolet's gin and really liking it. Very smooth and drinkable over ice. Balanced flavor. Not so juniper focused. It is there, but more mellow. ^
I think it was ~$50


Monkey 47 still my favorite, but still not easy to find in the USA and big bucks when you do.

I don't like Nolet - it tastes overpoweringly of flowers to me.

For those who like Bombay Sapphire, it's worthwhile trying the recently released Star of Bombay featuring extra bergamot.

Another vote for Hendricks - with Schweppes Tonic and a slice of cucumber.

Favorite Gin
 

I'm not a huge gin drinker. Or much of a gin drinker at all. But I'm a huge fan of the Old Tom gin by Ransom. It's barrel aged and great up with a twist. It's not as junipery as some of the gins I've had so maybe that's why I like it.
Fdw

Plymouth Navy Strength, what else? With a nod to Travis McGee. :)

I've been enjoying Leopold Brothers Gin.

Aldi gin works fine for me with tonic. Bombay or Hendricks for Martinis.

Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray are my go-to Gins. I'll drink Hendricks also, but don't feel any real preference for or against it. I'll also drink Bombay Dry if for some reason Sapphire is unavailable.

Tanqueray Rangpur. First tried this at Wynn LV and haven't looked back since. It has a slight rangpur lime flavor that makes it great in a martini, G&T, or just on the rocks. ABV 41.3% as opposed to regular Tanqueray which is 47.3%, and it is very smooth.

Hmm. I shared some Nolets with my Father again last night. Neither of us tasted anything overpoweringly floral. It is not as juniper as some other gins, for sure.

Still liking it a lot.

I have put this on my list. Probably after we kill the bottle of Nolets...which isn't going to take too long at this rate.

My absolute favourite is Monkey 47, with Fever Tree tonic, and a slice of lime.

I've got a bottle of Citadelle Réserve that I bought based on the rave reviews I've seen, but I don't really like the taste of it. It's certainly not bad, but it has some kind of weird aftertaste that leaves me meh.

Sapphire and Hendrick's are old friends I will always welcome.

I drink gin only neat, so no idea about how it goes with tonic but I just discovered a great addition to my collection: Marton's Gin. If you come across it, give it a try :)

Absolutely. We share the exact same (great) taste :D

I first encountered Monkey 47 at the the Lufthansa First Class lounge and was hooked from the beginning. They were using Fentiman's tonic though, which I did end up enjoying.

:eek:

No, just one eek won't do.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Favorite Gin
 

Just picked up a bottle of Monkey 47 based on this thread. Liquor store owner let me try it first. Very tasty (but $$$$).

Fdw

I prefer gins that don't have a heavy juniper flavor, so Martin Miller's and Bulldog are my top choices. Either of those with Fevertree or Q tonic and a wedge of lime - the perfect summer drink!

Ford's, Uncle Val's, Dorothy Parker, and Boodles would be my top picks for any cocktail.

I was born and grew up next to a local German old school Gin distillery. Enjoing luke warm Gin neat is part of my heritage ;)

And I grew to like it, but I prefer to cool it a bit down (but no ice!!!). On the other hand I can't drink brandy or Whisky... and I have no idea why people like that stuff.

Anyway, on my recent travels I discovered a great place for Gin lovers:

The GinJoint in Athens (http://www.theginjoint.gr/)

If you love Gin and your are in Athens... drop by!

Just sampled Monkey 47 in the hotel bar here in Gothenburg which surprisingly had about 20 different Gins. Very nice! Will need to get hands on a bottle somehow. Not that easy in Sweden. :(

Hah, nice.

I saw Monkey 47 at Whole Foods over the weekend. It was $45 for a small bottle. Which doesn't help you, I realize...

Thanks! Will be in US in November, so I'll keep an eye open then.

Where in the US? Whole Foods usually has a nice selection but there are also good local liquor stores that may be cheaper/have a better selection.

Boston area.

In the SFO bay area I have been quote happy with the "The Wine Club" but havn't looked if they have setup shop on the east cost as well.

EDIT:// just checked, seems they are not part of a chain, so no luck in Boston :)

Ah. Don't know Boston. Check out whole foods, or just ask people what a good liquor store is.

I have been enjoying St. George Terroir of late - in variations on the Spruce Goose cocktail.

For a plain G&T I like the local Death's Door gin but it might be too heavy on the botanicals for some.