Gin a Tasting Course: A Flavour-focused Approach to the World of Gin

The ultimate visual guide for all things gin, from botanicals and styles to local producers and distillation processes

Become a gin expert and discover your own gin tasting experience.

A basic history ascribes gin to a host of medicinal properties, from gin the diuretic keeping the pestilence at bay, to "Dutch courage" preventing scurvy for sailors, before it was mixed with quinine-containing tonic water to become the ubiquitous and ever-popular gin and tonic in the hope of preventing malaria. More recently, a boom in specialist gin distilleries has been enabled by its relatively loose definition-the spirit must contain juniper as its main botanical ingredient-and smaller producers have sprung up, incorporating their own unique botanic combinations into the spirit and populating the gin market with an ever-broadening range of floral, citrus, nutty, herbal, spiced, and fruity gins.

Gin: A Tasting Course revels in the diversity of the gin renaissance, exploring the multitude of complex flavor profiles and offering a guide to the styles, ingredients, and finishes-from small batch producers using local botanicals to some of the world's largest distilleries and most iconic gins. With reviews of the best and most exciting gins from across the world, tips for establishing your own gin palate, and an insight into the unique distillation process, you can learn about the ongoing story of gin, its heritage, and its innovation.