It’s National Gin Day on 13 June and to celebrate we’ve scoured the length and breadth of the British Isles to bring you this tantalising selection of gins worth stocking up on.

You’ll need to make some room on your bar cart for this bounty, as we’ve included all styles – from London Dry to fresh new flavours.

All gin must contain juniper as one of its botanicals, otherwise it can’t legally be called gin. However, after that, the possibilities really are never-ending and seem to be getting more experimental with each new release.

When thinking about the best gin for you, consider what draws you in.

Do you prefer fresh fruity styles or more earthy notes? If the first, look out for gins with added fresh fruit, otherwise roots, moss and seaweed will all add an intriguing earthy dimension.

Spice can come from cardamom, cinnamon or nutmeg with most gins offering a citrus element to cut through everything and lift the other flavours.

Even juniper itself can vary wildly from one gin to the next, with some providing more deep, resinous notes and others remaining clean and fresh.

The overwhelming majority of us tend to consume our gin with a good quality tonic and a slice of fruit – lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit all work well – but don’t forget, seriously good gin can also be sipped neat should the mood take you.

If that appeals to you, look out for slightly heavier ones with a creamy or sometimes even oily mouthfeel, saving the fresh and bright styles for versatile cocktail bases.

And don’t forget, although gin can seem like an expensive outlay, a standard 70cl bottle will give you 28 single measures (vs six small glasses from a standard wine bottle).

Whether you’re treating yourself or looking for the perfect gift, read on for the best of British gin for 2020.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Salcombe Gin rose sainte marie, 41.4%, 70cl Although inspired by the crisp, dry rose found in the South of France, this pretty pink gin is made in south Devon. Picking up a double gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020 (the Oscars of the spirit world), it’s the delicate natural sweetness of the strawberries which really shine through. With notes of fragrant rose petals and orange blossom, alongside the herbaceous lemon verbena, if you closed your eyes, you could indeed be forgiven for thinking you’re drinking this on the cost of the Mediterranean, instead of your back garden. Team with tonic and garnish with a twist of lemon peel and a juicy strawberry. Buy now £ 40 , Salcombe Gin {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Conker Spirit Dorset dry gin, 40%, 70cl We’re familiar with a London Dry gin but Dorset Dry? That’s a new one for us. We gave it a test drive and noticed that it’s slightly less dry than its London cousin, but complex and bright with a real freshness. Conker is Dorset's first gin distillery, combining British wheat spirit and New Forest spring water with local botanicals sourced across the Dorset coast and New Forest including elderberries, samphire and handpicked gorse flowers. Buy now £ 36 , Conker Spirit {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Brewdog lone wolf cactus and lime gin, 40%, 70cl Who said British gins had to stick to homegrown botanicals? Not the rule-breakers at Aberdeen-based Brewdog that’s for sure. Its latest release is infused with limes and the juice of “queen of the night” – a rare type of cactus flower that only appears when the sun goes down. Intrigued? Imagine a cross between watermelon and lychee and you’ll get the idea. Fresh and fragrant, other botanicals include pine, juniper, grapefruit peel, lemon peel, pink peppercorns, orris root, angelica, cardamom, almonds, lavender and coriander – phew! If you’re a fan of balmy summer nights, eating tacos and drinking ice-cold margaritas, this clever new gin encompasses all of that and then some. Not to be missed.

Buy now £ 26 , Brewdog {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Slingsby London dry gin, 42%, 70cl Always innovative, we’ve featured various Slingsby flavours in the past, but we had to include its original London Dry here. Proudly made with water from the Harrogate aquifer, this award-winning Yorkshire spirit opens up with a thwack of sweet lemon, backed up with notes of grapefruit and just a hint of liquorice, leading to a smooth herbaceous finish. Versatile and consistently good, this is a must-have for any drinks cabinet, whether you drink yours with tonic or in cocktails. Chin, chin! Buy now £ 39.99 , Spirit of Harrogate {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Penzance Gin, 37.5%, 70cl We might not be making our annual trip to the beautiful Cornish coast this year, however, this charming bottle featuring an art deco interpretation of the town's Jubilee swimming pool will serve as a nice reminder. Newly released, you’ll notice the liquid is a gorgeous amber colour which results from the extended time spent ageing with natural botanicals such as wild gorse. Silky smooth with depth and body, try serving this herbaceous spirt with an orange slice and good quality tonic. Buy now £ 38 , Penzance Gin {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Warner's lemon balm gin, 43%, 70cl Whether you’ve got a window box or a bigger patch to experiment with, more of us have found ourselves reconnecting with nature than ever before. This has always been at the forefront of Warner’s flavours, with this gin utilising homegrown, fresh botanicals hand-picked from the farm and distilled within hours. With layer upon layer of lemons – zesty, sweet and herbaceous – this tongue tingler is perfect with Mediterranean tonic water and fresh herbs to garnish. Extra points if you’ve grown them yourself.

Buy now £ 40 , Warner's {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Rosemullion seafarer's gin, 43%, 70cl Rosemullion is a newbie on the spirit scene having only launched 12 months ago by husband and wife team Liz and Andy Bradbury. The spirits (there are currently seven products in the range, including rum) have had a terrific reception, already picking up multiple awards. This seafarer’s gin is the latest release, cleverly taking inspiration from bracing coastal walks and the unmistakable salty air that you only experience by the seaside. Created with botanicals found along the coastal path (including a variety of seaweed picked up from the shoreline!), it’s delicately earthy, with peppery top notes and a clean lemon peel finish. The curvy nautical-inspired bottle is really beautiful, making this a great gift. Buy now £ 37.95 , Juniper Club {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Porthilly Spirit Cornish coastal gin, 42%, 70cl Sadly, like many events, this year’s Porthilly Spirit festival has been cancelled. However, you can still get a small taste of the action by sipping this house spirit. Distilled in Cornwall, the base is made from British sugar beet (the same plant we get sucrose for sugar from) and is combined with local spring water. Made in small batches, botanicals include samphire, sea pink (a beautiful flowering plant you might spot on your next coastal walk), nettle and Minneola peel – a type of tangerine-mandarin hybrid which brings a welcome new soft citrus dimension. What’s more, for every bottle sold, £2 will be donated to Cornwall Community Kitchen, a charity working to feed those most in need during these testing times, and you can add your own donation too. Buy now £ 39 , Porthilly Spirit Distillery {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Plymouth Gin, 41.2%, 70cl A traditional juniper-forward gin for those that like their spirits un-messed around with. That’s not to say this is a standard spirit though. Crafted in England’s oldest working distillery, Plymouth Gin has been very selective with adding additional botanicals, including fragrant cardamom and both zingy lemon and orange peel which you pick up on the long refreshing finish. Incredibly smooth and creamy, we can see why it’s sometimes referred to as the “single malt of gins”.

Buy now £ 20 , Amazon {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Stockport Gin, 40%, 70cl Sustainability champion Selfridges is known for innovation, having already banned all plastic straws, carrier bags and single-use plastic water bottles from stores, alongside offering a dedicated “buying better” edit highlighting the most eco-conscious brands. Teaming up with Stockport Gin to create a special sustainable version utilising the waste citrus from Selfridges bars and restaurants that would otherwise have been thrown away. Clever! As with the rest of the range, gin is made in small batches in the industrial town of Stockport, Cheshire. Team with tonic, a slice of fresh orange and garnish with a sprig of rosemary for maximum Mediterranean vibes. Buy now £ 46.99 , Selfridges {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Boatyard double gin, 46%, 70cl This family-owned spirits producer has been particularly hard at work recently, with all hands on deck to create World Health Organisation-approved hand sanitiser. Using the alcohol normally found in its spirits, over 1,200 bottles have been donated to frontline services in the local area of Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Rest assured, it’s still found time to make gin though. Boatyard start with an organic wheat base, combined with just eight botanicals – the most interesting of which being aromatic grains of paradise, a powerful spice similar to that of cardamom and black pepper combined. Light, elegant and well balanced, try serving with tonic and a slice of zingy grapefruit. Buy now £ 33.95 , The Whisky Exchange {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Forest Gin, 42%, 70cl This one might be at the top end of what we’d be willing to pay for a bottle of gin, however, when we discovered what went into each bottle, we felt we could justify the price tag. Let’s start with the beautiful English porcelain bottle. It features a screen print design by artist Suzy Taylor and is so pretty you’ll want to keep the bottle long after you’ve finished the contents. Made in small batches, using an organic base, the Bond family forage for local botanicals from within the Peak District National Park, collecting wild bilberries, gorse flowers, raspberries and local moss, among others. The result is earthy but very lively with a tart, juniper-heavy finish. Try garnishing with a twist of grapefruit peel.

Buy now £ 49.95 , Master of Malt {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Silent Pool Distillers Colorado high CBD gin, 40%, 50cl Reported to have numerous health benefits, from helping with muscle and joint pain to aiding relaxation, our intrigue with products containing CBD shows no signs of slowing down. Which is handy, as Silent Pool has teamed up with award-winning CBD experts Green Stem to create the UK’s highest concentrate CBD gin. With 200mg per bottle (or 10mg per single measure), pairing with a tonic is a delicious and safe way to ingest, and perfect for those that take CBD but dislike the sometimes bitter taste. Garnish with grapefruit, sit back and relax.

Buy now £ 50 , Silent Pool {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Crag and Tail Scottish gin, 40%, 70cl It might not be the first botanical you’d expect to find in a Scottish gin but it’s the light and refreshing watermelon in Crag & Tail that works so well with almost any tonic. Not overly fruity, we found this to be particularly crisp and clean. It’s this no-nonsense approach that makes Crag & Tail’s light-bodied gin so versatile and as a result, such good value.

Buy now £ 29.95 , Master of Malt {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Jaffa Cake Gin, 42%, 70cl If a spirit claims to taste like something, we want it to really deliver. Rest assured there is no mistaking that quintessential British teatime favourite – the jaffa cake. And while there are distinctive notes of orange, rich vanilla sponge, cocoa and bitter dark chocolate – it stops short of being a sickly sweet parody of itself. Check out the ABV – this is no liqueur. You could easily drink this neat, perhaps alongside dessert or with afternoon tea, however, it also makes the perfect base for a negroni. It suggests you garnish with an actual jaffa cake but if that’s a step too far a slice of orange would work just as well.

Buy now £ 27.95 , Master of Malt {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}}

The Verdict: British gin Proving that British Gin really is some of the best in the world, Devon's elegant Salcombe gin rosé sainte marie is really quite special. However, if you’re looking for a non-flavoured style, we’re big fans of the beautifully balanced Conker Spirit Dorset dry gin.

IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.