January
North Shore Gin No. 11 – Illinois (1.22.26)
North Shore Gin No. 11 is 90 proof but delicious both neat and in a G&T. I got a bottle at The Wine and Cheese Place. It’s a traditional gin but exceptionally balanced. I wouldn’t mind adding this to the collection someday but for now it’s 324 on the Master List.
Letherbee Autumnal 2018 – Illinois (1.23.26)
This is one of the most unusual gins I have tried in a while. It was on the very nice gin menu at Polite Society in Lafayette Square. Unfortunately they didn’t have enough left in the bottle for a martini so I tried it as a G&T. They harvested fresh garden sage and steeped it with the smoke from burned palo santo to create the core flavors for this spirit. It’s probably hard to find, but it’s 325 on the Master List.
February
Old Hollywood Ginn Summer Sequel – California (2.7.26)
I asked Sophorn to get me a bottle of Old Hollywood Ginn no. 015 while he was in California. He also bought a bottle of their Summer Sequel. We tried it at his son’s birthday party neat and on the rocks. It’s very floral with notes of wormwood and anise. I’d like to try it with tonic. Perhaps on another visit. It’s 326 on the Master List.
Radoune – Canada (2.10.26)
Best neat, earthy. It’s 120 of the collection and 327 on the Master List.
Arkosa – Canada (2.10.26)
Straight forward flavor. It’s 328 on the Master List.
The Architect- England (2.16.26)
The first new gin I tried on my 2026 trip to the UK was this London Dry specifically made for The Architect, a restaurant in Bath, England. Salcombe Gin partnered with the restaurant, who selected the botanicals. It is a traditional London Dry, but I like that they serve it over ice with the tonic on the side so you can control the ratio. It’s 329 on the Master List.
Bath Gin, Distillery Classic- England (2.16.26)
The second gin I tried at The Architect was Bath Gin. I knew I wasn’t going to have a chance to visit their distillery but I wanted to make sure I tried the local gin. They use 11 botanicals to make a light balanced gin that is nicely savory. On top of it the bottle is beautiful. I had hoped to pick up a bottle, maybe if I go back. It’s 330 on the Master List.
Scout & Sage- England (2.16.26)
The next gin I tried at The Architect was suggested by the bartender as a ver small batch micro gin. They have one 150L copper still and a vintage horse trailer turned traveling gin bar named Margo. This gin was very good. They use Seville Orange, pink peppercorn, cardamom, cassia bark, and cubeb berries. It’s 331 on the Master List.
6 O’Clock Gin- England (2.16.26)
I have seen 6 O’Clock Gin in the US before, but I hadn’t tried it. It’s made in Bristol, England to the west of Bath. I thought this was going to be my last gin of the evening at The Architect so I got a double. A double in the UK is a single here. All the other gins I got a half. I found this one pretty ordinary, nothing offensive, but nothing exciting either. A rather boring gin. It’s 332 on the Master List.
The Spirit of Bristol London Dry- England (2.16.26)
The last gin I tried at The Architect was also my favorite, with a little higher ABV, 42%, and a warmer profile featuring cardamom and lime leaf, this was the most interesting of the gins I sampled. It’s made by The Spirit of Bristol which was founded in 2024. It was enjoyable over ice and made for a very good gin and tonic. It’s 333 on the Master List.
Ramsbury London Dry- England (2.17.26)
The Abbey Hotel Bath had a line up of Ramsbury gins, and one vodka, prominently displayed on their bar. Most of the gins were flavored, but I tried the London Dry. It’s made in Wiltshire and was pretty mild in flavor, a traditional gin. They do use calk-filtered water from the aquifer on their estate and wheat that they grow themselves for the neutral spirit, so that is cool, but not cool enough to go back for. It’s 334 on the Master List.
Salcombe Start Point- England (2.17.26)
Salcombe is touted on menus as the super premium gin, always with a much higher price point. I tried it at the Abbey Hotel Bath with tonic, and while it is a perfectly nice gin, I didn’t see a large difference from many of the others I tried. Start Point is a juniper heavy traditional London Dry. It is 44% ABV which i enjoyed compared to most of the British 40% gins. That’s my favorite thing about it. It’s 335 on the Master List.
Hensol Castle- Wales (2.18.26)
I tried several Welsh gins at Thomas, the brasserie. This is the first gin from Wales that I have ever tried. It is made just outside of Cardiff and described as a Welsh Dry. I assume they don’t want to name it for a city in England. I had it in a gin and tonic served with a lemon. It was on the light side. Not very exciting. It’s 336 on the Master List.
Hibernation- Wales (2.18.26)
Here’s a gin with a little more punch, Hibernation Gin from the dyfi distillery has 45% ABV. More importantly it is influenced by the wild fruit harvest with botanicals including wild crab apples, blackberries, and bilberries. It is also rested in a White Port cask, the first gin in the world to do so. I had it at Thomas in a dry Martini. It’s 337 on the Master List.
Navigation- Wales (2.18.26)
Navigation is another gin from the dyfi distillery. as the name implies it is a navy strength gin with 57% ABV. Despite the high alcohol content it was not overpowering, just really enjoyable. In addition to hand-forged costal botanicals, it gets its flavor from a rest in an ancient canteiro Madeira barrel. I had it in a gin and tonic at Thomas. I would buy a bottle of this one. It’s 338 on the Master List.
Dà Mhìle Seaweed Gin – Wales (2.18.26)
Dà Mhìle Seaweed Gin is an herbal gin that is infused with organic seaweed. It comes from the western coast of Wales even though the distillery sits quite a ways inland. I’m usually a fan of seaweed/nori gins and this was no exception. I had it at Thomas in a gin and tonic with a cucumber. It’s 339 on the Master List.
Wye Valley Gin – Wales (2.18.26)
I didn’t meant to drink this gin. I had asked for the check but our wonderful waiter at Thomas, knowing I was trying to sample a lot of Welsh gin, brought over several more bottles from Wales. I couldn’t resist one more. This gin is inspired by woodland walks. Botanicals include sweet woodruff, mugwort, scots pine and linden flowers. The result is an earthy, umami flavor that was very cool. It’s 340 on the Master List.
Cotswolds Dry Gin – England (2.19.26)
The Bishops Mill Pub wasn’t the place to explore gins, but I hadn’t tried Cotswolds yet, so I gave it a try. This is a gin that gets exported to the States so it wasn’t an exciting find, but I really enjoyed it. I had it in a gin and tonic and it had good strong flavor. It’s 46% ABV which makes it a good deal stronger than most English gin. I like that. It’s 341 on the Master List.
Marrakech Gin – England (2.19.26)
My last gin on my trip to the UK was at our hotel bar in Salisbury. The Riverside didn’t have any traditional gins that I hadn’t tried but they had a lot of flavored gins. I usually avoid those, but it turns out the Marrakech Gin shouldn’t be avoided. It’s flavoured (see what I did there?) with citrus and Moroccan spice and makes a delicious g&t. It’s made by CBA Gin Co. in collaboration with Silent Pool. It’s 342 on the Master List.
Concord Culinary Lyceum 