Beefeater (London Dry) – 47% ABV – $16 It’s fitting that we start our list with Beefeater, one of the classic London Dry gins that you’ll find behind bars across the world. Very reasonably-priced, Beefeater’s a great everyday gin to stock at home. It works very well in martinis, gin & tonics, and other cocktails. Nose

A distinct lemon note right up front which leads into spicy juniper. Just a trace of alcohol. Opens up with some floral notes if you let it sit. Taste

Very warm immediately, then rapidly cools off. A little bit of white pepper (not unlike Bombay Sapphire but less dominant). Juniper shows up next and then things get warm and very spicy. A little cinnamon, a little clove. Finish is medium-length and tingly. Martini Test

Very interesting. Still fairly hot up front even with the vermouth and ice tempering things. The pepper fades, but a noticeable herbal taste takes its place, complementing the juniper nicely. Some citrus is there around the edges. This gin works particularly well with the Dolin vermouth.

Beefeater 24 (Western) – 45% ABV – $25 Beefeater 24 starts with a similar ingredient list to its older brother, but adds grapefruit and two types of teas to the recipe. The gin is harvested from the “heart of the run” – the middle of the distillation process. The result is a gin that’s more citrus-forward than the traditional London Dry. Nose

Light nose, with some juniper and orange peel. Pleasant spiciness at the end. Warm, moderate burn that lasts as you inhale. Taste

Sweet juniper up front. More orange and then BIG warmth that fades relatively quickly. Long, lingering tingling in the mouth with a little hint of grapefruit. Martini Test

Still sweet up front, with plenty of juniper, but the warmth has been tamed. Orange notes have been accented by the bitters and the orange twist. Nice, clean finish.

Bombay Sapphire (London Dry) – 47% ABV – $23 Boasting one of the most identifiable bottles in the liquor industry, Bombay Sapphire is a classic that most bars happily stock. It may be an old standby but that’s no reason to scoff. It’s an excellent all-around gin. Nose

Noticeable alcohol note. Juniper up front as befits a London dry. Lemon and spice follow. Taste

Wow! Peppery right at first, with a very strong attack. Juniper shows up next, leading into a long and very warm spice-laden finish. Martini Test

Still a big, hot spike up front, but the peppery note is smoothed out a bit and lets the Juniper come to the front. Vermouth is largely overridden by a warm, citrus-y sweetness in the middle, and the pepper comes back at the end.

The Botanist (“Islay” Dry) – 46% ABV – $33 The Botanist is distilled by a Scottish distillery, Bruichladdich, which also makes several varieties of scotch. Located on the famous isle of Islay in western Scotland, they use 31 local botanicals, in addition to the traditional ones, to create this unique-tasting gin. Nose

Soft and sweet. Not a ton of juniper. Warm. Slight earthy, herbal note, followed by a hint of almond. This might be insane but I get salted caramel at the end. Taste

Oh, yum. Sweet and hot on the tongue, with lots of warm spice and a bit of lemon peel. The herbal notes stick around. No salted caramel to be found in the taste. There’s a lot happening in this gin. Maybe a bit too much, but overall I like it. Martini Test

Sweet and warm. The gin really takes to the orange bitters. Citrus notes come out and the vermouth slides to the back. Some earthy flavors, perhaps from the Scottish botanicals. Warm spice shows back up at the end.

Broker’s (London Dry) – 47% ABV – $20 Created by two English brothers in 1998, Broker’s is a new entry into the world of London Dry gins, but one worth paying attention to. It has the classic juniper backbone, but a very unique set of characteristics that really set it apart from its peers. At $20, it’s a steal. Nose

Very light and smooth. Not that much juniper for a London dry. Slight earthy note with light citrus overtones. Taste

Complex! Slightly bitter and herbal/medicinal up front. Juniper suddenly shows up, along with citrus and an almost peppery note. Warmth is significant but fades fairly quickly. Lengthy but mild finish. Martini Test

Up-front bitterness recedes and the juniper is more immediately prevalent. Warmth and pepper are still there, and really serve to balance the slight sweetness of the vermouth. This gin totally neutralized the vermouth — the pruney, “vermouthy” note is entirely gone. I wouldn’t know it was there if I hadn’t put it into the mixing glass myself.

Ford’s (London Dry) – 45% ABV – $27 Distilled in London, Ford’s Gin is a collaborative effort between Master Distiller Charles Maxwell and Simon Ford of The 86 Co. It’s an above-average entry at an appealing price. This gin makes a fantastic Aviation cocktail. Nose

Very gentle. No alcohol burn whatsoever, touch of juniper. Quite a citrus bouquet, especially grapefruit. Coriander and other spices come later if allowed to breathe. Taste

Warm and sweet up front with a fairly strong burn, opens to juniper first and then a big hit of grapefruit. Slight marshmallow note (Angelica?). Medium-length finish with a slightly floral aspect. Martini Test

Super smooth. Not very sweet up front. Played nicely with the orange bitters, and the vermouth comes through quite a bit.

Gordon’s (London Dry) – 40% ABV – $12 The least-expensive gin on the list, Gordon’s is nonetheless a classic and well worth consideration. Like Beefeater and Tanqueray, Gordon’s tastes like a London Dry should taste like. It’s a great gin at an excellent price, good for sipping, for use in a gin and tonic, or for cocktail work. Nose

Sweet and lightly scented without a trace of alcohol burn. Juniper is dominant but not overpowering, and there are notes of coriander and licorice to be had. Taste

Soft and cool to the tongue. Surprisingly sweet up front. The dominant flavor is still juniper — no surprise in this classic London Dry. A long, mild, pleasant burn slowly comes on, bringing with it herbal flavors. Martini Test

This is a very light martini — there's no pronounced burn and even the flavors are somewhat muted. The juniper seems to have almost entirely disappeared. Both the vermouth and the orange bitters are quite prevalent, almost to the point of taking over the drink. Honestly, I quite like Gordon's neat, but if I were to make another martini with it, I would omit the vermouth entirely and go with olives instead of an orange peel.

Greenhook (Western) – 47% ABV – $36 This is the most artisanal, small-batch gin on the list, the most expensive, and the hardest to find outside of New York City and the surrounding area. That said, if you can get it, GET IT. This gin is special. Nose

Sweet and earthy. Low juniper even for a western-style gin. Something almost biscuit-y. There are savory notes here too that twine together with something floral. Taste

Very sweet on the attack, then opens into an absolutely delicious mix of cinnamon and floral notes. There’s still juniper here but it’s not dominant. Lengthy but enjoyable burn followed by more of those savory flavors. The finish is super warm with lots of mellow spice. Martini Test

Very flavorful. Sweet up front with a long but not unpleasant alcohol burn. Really took to the orange bitters, opening up all kinds of citrus notes that complement the spice.

Hendrick’s (Western) – 44% ABV – $35 Produced in Scotland and launched in 1999, Hendrick’s was an early entry into the ever-expanding field of western-style gins, and it’s enjoyed a rapid growth in popularity since its introduction. Most bars stock it, and many serve it in a martini garnished not with olives or an orange twist, but rather with a cucumber wheel to complement that unique ingredient in its flavoring process. Nose

Soft, soft, soft up front. Very little juniper. Almost a sweet, cotton-candy scent, followed up by light citrus and floral notes. Taste

Soft again on the palate at first. Juniper still way in the background. Curious vegetal note — the cucumber? Cotton candy disappears entirely, this gin is actually quite dry. Big warm alcohol leaps forward next. Finish leaves a lot of lingering spice. Martini Test

Smoooooth up front. No big hit of alcohol. This might be the least-juniper-y gin I'm covering in this article. Lots of warm floral notes here along with the aforementioned vegetal taste. Relatively low sweetness — plays well with the vermouth. Can barely taste the orange bitters at all.

Martin Miller's (Western) – 45.2% ABV – $27 Created with traditional English botanicals and Icelandic spring water, Martin Miller’s is a relatively new entry into the market. Miller himself is something of a Renaissance man and this gin reflects his eclectic approach to life. Nose

Medium juniper, bit of alcohol, floral notes (iris?), and something almost vegetal. Big lemon and a bit of orange peel aromas show up as it blooms. Taste

Soft entry, follow by pronounced burn with really interesting sweetness (which fades after a split second), LOTS of aromatics and a big whomp of that lemon flavor. Loooong, mildly bitter finish that leaves the lips and tongue tingling. This gin just tastes “clean” to me. Martini Test

The soft entry and the touch of sweetness remain. Vermouth is actually quite prominent in the middle. Gin seems to show up afterward, in the form of a spicy, earthy, lingering aftertaste with a pleasant bitterness. I think I actually like this gin better neat. If I were to redo the martini, I’d skip the orange bitters and add a lemon twist instead of an orange, to really accentuate that aspect.

New Amsterdam (Western) – 40% ABV – $13 I’ve recommended New Amsterdam before. It’s a fine gin made better by its price point. It’s soft and well-rounded, and does especially well in cocktails. I prefer a more juniper-forward gin for martinis, though. Nose

Reasonable amount of juniper for a western gin. Mallow-y angelica scent is pronounced. Citrusy – definite orange peel note. Taste

Soft on the tongue with a distinct sweetness that jumps into a pronounced but quickly-fading burn. Juniper is still there, so is the orange peel. Slight dustiness just before a short, clean finish. Martini Test

Lots of orange at the front. Juniper falls away and the sweetness lasts longer — this is definitely one of the sweetest martinis on this list, along with the Malacca — without the hard burn that comes when taken neat. Warm spice follows the sweetness, and some of the vermouth flavor really comes through at that point. A very “soft” martini experience.

No. 3 (London Dry) – 46% ABV – $35 The recipe for No. 3 was created by the liquor distributors Berry Bros & Rudd, who’ve been located at #3, St. James’s Street since 1698. Man … they did all right. Infused with fewer botanicals than most gins, No. 3 is all about the juniper, which surprisingly makes it one of the most unique-tasting gins on the shelves. Nose

Very, very juniper forward. Touch of grapefruit to be had as well. Taste

Just a massive initial juniper note — lots of pine and resin. This is not a bad thing! Some floral notes afterward. Leads into modest warmth that coats the tongue. Medium length finish that ends with an interesting grapefruit note. Martini Test

Still a lot of piney juniper to be had. The floral notes come back with a touch of bitterness that works well with the vermouth. Grapefruit goes missing but some sweet, earthy angelica notes arrive. I think this might be a better olives gin than an orange bitters & twist gin.

Tanqueray (London Dry) – 47.3% ABV – $20 Here we have another classic. Tanqueray is, to me, the very definition of a London Dry gin, and it works whether you’re drinking it neat, mixing a martini, or crafting a Tom Collins. You’ll have a hard time finding a bar that doesn’t stock the famous green bottle, and at twenty bucks it really should be a fixture in your home as well. Nose

Very soft – no alcohol burn and not a ton of scent. Juniper is at the forefront. Maybe a bit of coriander, a bit of licorice. Taste

Juniper. Not pine-y like No 3. but just a really solid, up-front juniper flavor. Warm on the tongue but not aggressive. Leads to a nice earthy taste and a lot of tingling on the tongue. Martini Test

Lots of juniper still to be had at the start, as expected. Long sweet note – a little bit of mallow, a little earth – leading to a delicious, spicy, medicinal bitterness, kind of similar to how Broker's tastes up front. Vermouth is not terribly prevalent. Orange bitters are totally lost – I wouldn't know they were there. Very little citrus. Still makes the lips and tongue tingle pleasantly.

Tanqueray Malacca (Western) – 40% ABV – $??? This one’s a bit of a tease; you can’t buy Tanqueray Malacca at liquor stores right now. It’s a limited edition and mainly only available to bars and restaurants. Of course, you can always go to a quality cocktail establishment near you and see if they have the stuff. It’s worth looking for. Nose

Light on the juniper, and very citrusy – particularly grapefruit. Taste

Super-soft entry. Not a lot of burn. Grapefruit is still there, along with a strong spice note I can't identify. Gin is quite sweet, but not “sweetened” (ie: not cloying). Slight licorice and clove notes. Medium-length finish. Martini Test

A sweet, slightly medicinal taste that's not prevalent when tasting the gin neat absolutely leaps forward. Vermouth seems to be pushed way to the background. Orange bitters work beautifully with the grapefruit notes. Long, VERY sweet finish.

Tanqueray Ten (Western) – 47.3% ABV – $34 Introduced in 2000, Tanqueray Ten is heavily focused on bringing out citrus elements to play with the other gin botanicals. It costs a bit more than the London Dry, but it’s a nice splurge and makes a great martini. Nose

Much stronger than Tanqueray. Sweet. Quite licorice-y with juniper pushed toward the back. Warm orange and grapefruit notes. Almost a bit of bubble gum. Taste

Sweet and citrusy. There’s lemon, grapefruit and orange in abundance, with a little bit of white pepper as well. The bubble gum is still there (probably sounds awful but it's actually quite good). There's also just the faintest whisper of fresh mint. Long, pronounced burn at the end. Martini Test

Grapefruit note right at the front, along with some sweetness. The pepperiness REALLY comes out in the middle and I like it a LOT. Not a lot of “warm” flavors like cinnamon or mallow — this is a “cool” gin. The vermouth plays very nicely with this one – it's there, but it's like a good bass player, providing structure without getting in the way. Lengthy tingling on the tongue even in martini form.