A Guide to Popular Gin Brands
from http://cocktails.about.com/ (now https://www.thespruceeats.com/)

The theory behind deciding which bottle of gin to pick up at the store is much the same as vodka: find a gin that fits the style of drinks you mix most. If you're on a budget and tend to make flavorful drinks like an English Rose or a Biltmore you can get away with a value brand, though one does want to choose carefully to get a good tasting gin (see recommendations). For the most part, you can not go wrong if you stick with premium or super-premium gins which, are more versatile in a variety of cocktails. Remember that it is very easy to ruin a Martini with bad gin.

Here some popular brands of gin...

On a Budget - Gins Around $10

These gins are inexpensive and commonly found in commercial bar's well stock. While these may not be the cleanest tasting gins, there are some budget-friendly beauties here. For the most part I would mix these in tall mixed drinks with strong flavors like fruit juices.

Aristocrat - US
Balfour Street Dry - US
Barton London Extra Dry - US
Booth's London Dry - England
Burnett's London Dry - US
Fleischmann's Extra Dry - US
Glenmore London Dry - US
Gordon's London Dry - US
McCormick Dry - US
New Amsterdam Straight - US
Seagram's Extra Dry - US
Taaka Dry - US

5 of the Best Brands of Gin for $10

There is no doubt that when you're choosing a gin for your Martinis you want to get the best available, but sometimes spending $20-30 or more a bottle doesn't fit into the budget. In those times you find yourself looking down to the bottom of the liquor shelf for a bottle that's a little more reasonable.

Below are 5 of the best value gins that you can pick up for around $10. Depending on the market, the price of these brands may vary slightly but they are readily available for around the same price. Are they Martini worthy? Not really. I prefer to keep these around for mixed drinks and cocktails with heavy mixers.

1. Gordon's London Dry Gin ($10.99)

This is my go-to value gin and my personal favorite of the list. Still not a Martini gin, Gordon's makes some excellent mixed drinks. The aspect I enjoy of it the most is its strong juniper base and the essence of a variety of other herbs that mix well with almost anything. The average Gin & Tonic, Gin Sling, Gin Rickey and the like are great uses for this rather clean and inexpensive gin. For neat drinks I tend to avoid any of these with "clean" cocktails like the Martini, Emerson, Pegu Club, etc., however, in drinks with strong mixers and juices like the Monkey Gland, Honolulu, or even a Paradise, Gordon's does a pretty good job.

2. Seagram's Extra Dry Gin ($12.99)

Seagram's produces a pretty good gin for the price. It doesn't have the flavor of Gordon's but still contains a juniper profile that is pleasant. For a couple extra dollars you can also pick up Seagram's Distillers Reserve, which is a little more complex. They also bottle flavored gins, including lime, apple, orange and raspberry, but I'm not fond of those at all - I like gin-gin. Seagram's original London Dry works well in a variety of mixed drinks like Gordon's and also works nicely in a Floradora, French Martini and Ginspresso Martini.

3. Burnett's London Dry Gin

Burnett's London Dry is a sweeter gin with a lighter, airier herbal notes. It is a nice London Dry for fruit cocktails like the La Habana, English Rose and Orange Blossom and still holds up in the two-ingredient, classic gin mixed drinks like the Gin Buck and Singapore Sling.

4. Glenmore London Dry Gin

Glenmore London Dry Gin is not one of the more popular value gins and it's one that I can't find in my market but I've seen it in many others. For a gin in the $10 range it is a nice specimen. This one has that full botanical range we expect in the spirit and that makes it a good candidate for some of the fruity mixed drinks like the Salty Dog. It's also pleasant in a Clover Club Cocktail, Angel's Delight and the classic Eddy.

5. Booth's London Dry Gin

Booth's London Dry can be found in most markets and is a decent gin. It is certainly not as flavorful as the others listed, nor a clean tasting, but it beats many of the other low priced gins. Booth's is one that you will likely want to hide in a highball and makes an excellent base for drinks like the Orange Oasis, Charmides and Long Island Iced Tea or in the rare frozen gin cocktails such as the Wedding Cake

Favorites that Don't Break the Bank - Gins Around $20

When you are willing to spend around $20 you will find the quality of gin takes a dramatic leap. This price range is where you will find some of the favorite brands that are not only versatile for a variety of cocktails and mixed drinks, but are nice introductions for those developing a palate for the botanicals of gin.

Beefeater - England ($22.99)
Beefeater Wet - England
Bombay Dry - England ($21.99)
Boodles London Dry - England
Broker's London Dry - England ($21.99)
Clearheart Gin - US
Crater Lake Gin - US
Greenall's London Dry - England
Iceberg London Dry - Canada
Quintessential Dry - England
Tanqueray London Dry - England ($26.99)
Tanqueray Rangpur - England ($26.99)
Tower of London - England

Martinis with Style - Gins Around $30

Now we get into the Martini-worthy gins. These are the gins that are going to go well in almost any gin cocktail you want to add them to. Also, with some of these boutique brands you are going to get very different flavor profiles (i.e. Hendrick's and Aviation), some that even tread the fine line of the definition of gin.

Aviation - US ($27.99)
Bafferts - England
Bluecoat American - US
Bombay Sapphire - England ($28.99)
Bulldog - England
Cascade Mountain - United States
Citadelle - France
Damrak - Holland
DH Krahn - US
Hendrick's- Scotland ($34.99)
Juniper Green Organic - England
Junipero- US ($33.99)
Mercury London Dry - England
Martin Miller's London Dry - England
Plymouth Gin - England ($31.99)
Quintessential - England
Right Gin - Sweden
Tanqueray No. Ten - England ($32.99)
Tru2 Organic - US
Van Gogh- Holland
Zuidam- Holland

Luxurious Botanicals - Gins Over $40

Again, these gins are ideal for almost any cocktail and are truly ideal for the simple, well-defined concoctions that gin is known for being a part of. Many of these are high-end, classically styled London dry gins, though some are of the new style of gin designed to lure a softer palate into the category.

G'Vine - France (grape flower base)
Kensington London Dry - Scotland
Leopold Bros. American Small Batch - US
Magellan - France
Old Raj - England
Right - Sweden

Genever Brands

Genvers are a special category of gin that was the original gin. If you enjoy a true variety of gin cocktails, especially many of the classic recipes, I recommend having at least one bottle of genever on hand alongside a London dry or one of the new American style gins.

Bols - Holland
Boomsma - Holland
Filliers - Belgium
Genevieve - US
Hertekamp - Belgium
Petermans - Belgium
Zuidam - Holland
The London Gin No.1 Original Blue Gin - England