IT’S gins all round as sales of the favourite summer tipple boom – and drinkers get fruitier than ever.
Whether your chosen blend is rhubarb or pineapple, blackcurrant or grapefruit, everyone is reaching for a splash of the good stuff.
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Sales were down in 2022 but the party is now back on as business picks up and exports also thrive.
Enthusiasts are also spending more than ever on a bottle, often £30 or more for a craft one.
But you need not break the bank for a super sip.
Thea Jacobs samples fruity faves, ranging from budget to more pricey, and marks each out of five.
Malfy Citrus (£25, Waitrose)
★★☆☆☆
SMELLS like lemon sorbet and makes my mouth water.
There’s a rather bitter lemon bite and a synthetic aftertaste, which makes this feel a lot cheaper than it is.
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It’s a disappointment after having the other Malfy family ones, which are delicious.
Given the market is flooded with lemon-flavoured gin, there is really no excuse such a premium brand coming up with a product this poor.
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Hortus Orange & Passionfruit (Lidl, £14.99)
★★★☆☆
DELICIOUS passion fruit aroma is reminiscent of a Porn Star Martini.
Also tastes initially of passion fruit, before delivering a more orangey aftertaste as the tart passion fruit begins to die down.
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A smooth drink, it barely tastes alcoholic and would be dangerous if you don’t want to get merry.
A fantastic gin for a very low price.
Lidl proves yet again that it knows what it’s doing.
Malfy Pink Grapefruit (Amazon, £23)
★★★★☆
LIKE a perfume, I’d quite happily spray myself with this to make me smell wonderful.
A little sweeter than your usual gin – and this has a very strong grapefruit flavour that stays with you long after you’ve sipped it.
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There’s nothing else quite like it on the market and, even if there was, I doubt it would provide much competition.
Certainly one for the more sophisticated drinker.
Whitley Neill Pineapple (Sainsbury’s, £28)
★★★★★
SCREAMS pineapple the moment you pop the bottle open.
A bit odd with tonic but perfect with lemonade.
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Pineapple shines through and leaves a lovely aftertaste.
Dangerously, it does not taste like alcohol – and if you don’t have a sweet tooth, avoid.
Time and time again, Whitley Neill proves it can take a fruit and create from it the perfect tipple.
But this tastes much better than its strawberry and raspberry offerings.
Warner’s Rhubarb (Morrisons, £36)
★★★★★
THE botanical scent jumps out as soon as you open the bottle – and if you like rhubarb, you’ll love this.
It packs a tart kick and is beautiful pink.
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This gin is the most expensive of those I tried, and it’s not hard to see why once you start drinking.
It’s smooth from start to finish and reminds me of family dinners that were finished off with a Rhubarb crumble.
If you’ve got cash to splash, this is the one.
Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger (Asda £22)
★★☆☆☆
DOESN’T smell of anything, which is a shock given it has ginger in it.
Tastes like artificially sweet- ened rhubarb, with a punch of ginger at the end – and the flavours don’t complement one another.
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When I say a punch of ginger, I’m talking Tyson Fury-style, kind of knockout.
Nothing after it feels good.
Whitely Neill should stick to it usual recipe of just one fruit.
Pomegranate & Rose (Sainsbury’s, £18)
★★★☆☆
THIS offering from the chain’s Taste The Difference range smells incredible and makes the mouth water.
When mixed, the rose smell just sings.
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This gin tastes like summer distilled – but a double shot may feel like you’re drinking perfume.
The pomegranate fails to come through much – a shame because I love this fruit and its tartness could offset the floral notes here.
Adnams Blackcurrant Gin, (Threshers, £32)
★☆☆☆☆
HORRIFIC whiff from this one – and nothing like blackcurrants.
Putting it in a purple bottle doesn’t do anything to hide the pungent stench.
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It could be a Halloween special edition, judging from the bottle’s colour and decoration.
This drink is, in fact, the worst thing that I’ve ever put in my mouth, by a country mile – and I once even ate cat food, as a teenage dare.
I ruined a good glass of lemonade and one of tonic.
