The 3 Best Gins We Tasted in February 2024
As February concludes with a special Leap Year twist, we here at Gin Raiders would like to look back and recognize the exceptional gins we’ve tasted this month, whether freshly released or just crossing our desk for the first time.
For those new to Gin Raiders, we evaluate gins based on our Chief Spirits Critic Jay West’s reviews, aggregated reviews from other reputable critics and our managing editor’s tasting notes. If a gin has been reviewed by enough experts, a link to our aggregated review will be provided. Read more about our process here.
Out of the juniper spirits we sampled in February 2024, these three stood out as our favorites!
King Coil Modern Gin
(Photo: King Coil Distillery)
This 40%-ABV modern gin is produced by King Coil Spirits in Minnesota using grapefruit peels, orange peels and whole chamomile flowers, along with juniper, coriander, angelica root and grapefruit peel. The spirit offers a subtle, round sweetness and lively herbal backbone, supported by softened juniper and a piquant, licoricey finish. Versatile and approachable, King Coil Modern Gin makes for a delicious Last Word, French Blond and Gin Sour.
If traditional gin is more up your alley, King Coil produces a classic dry expression that may better suit your palate.
Founded by the team behind Lake Monster Brewing, King Coil Spirits is a cocktail bar and distillery based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The distillery, named after the King Koil mattress factory and a distillation coil, offers a range of spirits beyond gin, including whisky, vodka, rum, bitters and an herbal liqueur called Trentaerbe. Emphasizing a top-notch cocktail bar experience, King Coil also serves up Roman-style pizzas.
Currently, King Coil spirits can only be found at the business’ location in St. Paul, so you’ll have to slide by for a visit to get a taste of its great Modern Gin (and its many other offerings).
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
(Photo: The Botanist Gin)
Crafted at the Bruichladdich Distillery in Scotland, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin features a selection of 22 locally foraged ingredients. A few stand-out botanicals include apple mint, birch leaves, bog myrtle leaves, creeping thistle flowers, gorse flowers, lady’s bedstraw flowers, mugwort leaves, red clover flowers, tansy and wood sage leaves.
The nose delivers oodles of summery florals and tranquil mint, while the palate presents earthy and herbal notes of angelica, orris, lemon balm, meadow sweet and thyme. Mellow and pleasantly viscous, the finish concludes with cassia spice. Serve this 46%-ABV gin in a dirty martini, Salty Dog, White Negroni or gin and tonic garnished with mint.
The Botanist currently sports an average score of 91. Find our aggregated reviews of this Scottish spirit here.
The Bruichladdich Distillery, based on the “Queen of the Hebrides,” Islay, produces The Botanist Islay Dry Gin and numerous highly acclaimed whiskies. Since gaining B Corp certification in 2020, the distillery has achieved an impact score of 100.7. Bruichladdich Distillery also embraces eco-friendly practices through a commitment to biodiversity and conservation. Funding initiatives include a ten-year butterfly monitoring program led by Butterfly Conservation Scotland and support for Project Seagrass, mapping seagrass meadows crucial for marine ecosystems. Additionally, the distillery focuses on reducing its carbon footprint, with a commitment to decarbonizing distilling operations by 2025.
The Botanist can easily be found through online retailers and liquor stores, priced at around $38 per 750-ml bottle.
Love, Querida Gin
(Photo: Love, Katie Distilling)
Hailing from Love, Katie Distilling in Pennsylvania, Love, Querida Gin is a 45%-ABV London dry released specially for Valentine’s Day. Silky and lightly perfumed, the spirit offers a sweet citrus aroma, paired with gentle hibiscus notes, zesty orange and a tingly pepper finish. With Querida meaning “female sweetheart” in Spanish, this gin is perfectly poised for those seeking a romantic cocktail experience. Consider mixing this delicately floral gin in an Aviation, Martinez or even the fabled marriage proposal-inspiring Leap Year Cocktail.
Love, Katie Distilling, Pennsylvania’s inaugural LGBTQ-owned distillery, was conceived by Katie Sirianni, previously successful with Sips Mobile Bar Co. After weather challenges with the outdoor mobile bar, she transitioned to distillation, leading to the establishment of Love, Katie in Sharpsburg. The distillery offers gin and vodka in a speakeasy-style setting with dark walls, crystal chandeliers and vintage furniture. Beyond spirits, it champions inclusivity, reflecting a broader spectrum of love and community.
The name “Love, Katie” serves as a personal love letter to Sirianni’s girlfriend, Jen, but according to the distiller, “it can be your love letter to anyone.” In a further display of affection for her partner, Sirianni exclusively concocted Love, Querida Gin as a Valentine’s Day gift for Jen, recognizing it as her preferred spirit.
Love, Querida Gin can be purchased through the distillery and online, priced at $35 per 750-ml bottle.
Read next:
The 5 Best Gins We Tasted in January 2024
Disaronno Owner Illva Saronno Expands Italian Portfolio With Acquisition of Engine Gin
Bruichladdich Unveils Range of Cask-Matured Gins Designed to Be ‘Sipped Neat Like High-End Whisky’
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