With spring in full swing, it’s gin’s time to shine. Herbs, floral notes, and other botanicals make for bright, crisp, and delicious cocktails that welcome the warmer weather. Gin’s most notable style, London Dry, hails from England. But countless craft gins, including those from Great Britain’s northern territory, are blooming and prospering. The following three gins prove Scotland’s role in distilling goes far beyond Scotch whisky alone.

Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret

Hendrick’s has long been a powerhouse in the gin space. Produced in Girvan, Hendrick’s continually releases unique and inventive special edition bottlings, such as its Grand Cabaret expression released this year. The name itself implies a rich boldness, and the liquid inside delivers. In addition to the already vibrant cucumber and rose character found in Hendrick’s flagship expression, Grand Cabaret carries the palest pink hue and boasts a decadent profile bursting with tropical and stone fruit. A juicy berry mix is front and center, washing away the typical short, crisp bite found in most gins.

Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret is lush, luxurious, fruitful, and ideal for mixing and intensifying any gin drink, whether simple or complex. If you’ve shied away because of gin’s misleading sharpness, Grand Cabaret will lead you to become a fan.

Edinburgh Seaside Gin

Scotland’s capital city offers a nuanced spin on its flagship bottling. Edinburgh, located in the heart of the medieval city beside the base of Edinburgh Castle, is reinventing its Dry Gin with its Seaside Gin expression. Made with botanicals sourced on the beaches surrounding Edinburgh, it’s as authentic to its name and brand as a gin can be.

Typical dry gin notes of strong juniper and coriander, complemented by grassiness, minerality, and saline notes, make it intriguing and delectable. The finish is clean, crisp, and effortless, with classic gin spice’s subtle but lingering warmth. This gin straddles the line between classic and unique, a rare quality in a category that often clutches to traditionalism. You’ve never had a gin like Edinburgh Seaside Gin before, but you’ll be more than glad when you do.

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

The third and final gin of the roundup hails from the isle of Islay, a region most known for iconically smoky whiskies (it is, after all, produced at the Bruichladdich Distillery). Like Seaside, The Botanist uses 22 locally sourced, hand-foraged wild botanicals specific to Islay to create its unique flavor. The list includes wild thyme, lemon grass, lavender, chamomile, cinnamon bark, elderflower, and apple mint, to name but a few. The result is a complex and sophisticated bouquet resulting in the most individualistic gin I’ve encountered. The neverending palate is ripe with flavor and exquisitely delicate simultaneously, concluding with an elegant, sharp finish that self-cleanses before each succeeding sip. The Botanist creates my preferred martini, extra dry, of course, because every note of this gin cries out to be discovered and savored.

Final Thoughts

While the Botanist is undoubtedly my favorite gin of the roundup (and possibly my favorite gin altogether), my first exposure to Edinburgh Seaside Gin took me by surprise. Because it belongs to its “London Dry” category, I was not expecting such a unique expression. But its outstanding minerality was a refreshing take on the style, and I’ll be eager to keep a bottle handy moving forward.