Gin has historically been a fairly affordable spirit, although the modern craze for unusual infusions and outlandish ingredients means that some examples cost a lot more than others.
But what about those gins that go the extra mile to boost their value and appeal to a premium audience? Here are 10 of the most expensive that you can buy today.
1. Morus LXIV by Jam Jar Gin
Cost - £4000
Origin - UK
ABV - 64%
Why is it so expensive? - The selling point of this gin is its luxurious presentation, which includes a £200 cup housed in a leather-fashioned stirrup bundled in for the £4000 asking price. It is also infused with the leaves of a mulberry tree that is described as being especially ancient, giving hundreds of years of flavour with each sip.
2. Watenshi by Cambridge Distillery
Cost - £2000
Origin - UK
ABV - 45%
Why is it so expensive? - Marketed as the world's most exclusive gin, this British tipple is made in the Japanese style, hence the name, with just six bottles produced for each batch that is distilled. Aside from the rarity of this gin, the other reason for its stratospheric price is that it only exists thanks to some highly technical strategies developed by the team at Cambridge Distillery.
3. The Reserve Dry Gin by Nolet
Cost - £660
Origin - The Netherlands
ABV - 52.3%
Why is it so expensive? - Like many other high end gins, this offering from Nolet owes a lot of its cost to its branding and presentation. The gold-trimmed bottle is shipped in a similarly opulent box that makes it a suitable gift to leave sitting on the shelf if you do not feel like cracking into it to sample its botanicals which include verbena, crocus flower and the wallet-worrying spice saffron.
4. Distiller's Cut by Monkey 47
Cost - £100-£300
Origin - Germany
ABV - 47%
Why is it so expensive? - This premium gin is already at the costlier end of the spectrum in its standard form, but the Distiller's Cut edition ups the ante because it is produced annually with an entirely different unusual botanical ingredient at its heart. In 2018 this was red mustard cress, while a year earlier it was musk yarrow. With around 4000 bottles created with each run, this makes it one of the more accessible gins in the list in terms of availability.
5. Anty Gin by Cambridge Distillery
Cost - £220
Origin - UK
ABV - 42%
Why is it so expensive? - In comparison with the other Cambridge Distillery gin on this list, the Anty Gin looks positively cheap. However, it is no less innovative or appealing, at least if you do not mind the thought of imbibing inset essence. This is because the gin is made with red wood ants, which apparently impart a citrus-style acidity to it that is quite unique. When you order it you will also receive a dinky measure of the undiluted ant juice itself that can be used to further augment the tongue-tingling flavour.
6. Foragers Reserve Gin by Clogau
Cost - £130
Origin - UK
ABV - 45.3%
Why is it so expensive? - This gin was produced in Wales in 2018 to mark the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with a run of just 440 bottles distilled from the hand-foraged ingredients that had been gathered from the countryside of mountainous Snowdonia. Just over half of the bottles were made available for purchase by the public, with the rest presumably going to industry insiders, dignitaries and other people of import.
7. Saar Dry Gin Goldcap by Ferdinand's
Cost - £132
Origin - Germany
ABV - 49%
Why is it so expensive? - This gin owes its flavours to a surprising variety of fruits, including Riesling grapes, ripe pears, juicy plums and a bevy of additional botanicals. It is also made just once a year and is packages to be as expensive-looking as possible. Not only is the gin supplied in a velvet drawstring bag, but it also comes in a beaten metal case that means it can be revealed with real ceremony whenever you decide to tuck in.
8. Gentleman's Cut by Spring Gin
Cost - £80
Origin - Belgium
ABV - 48.8%
Why is it so expensive? - While it may be the first gin to dip below the £100 mark on this list, it is nevertheless a costly drink that is deliberately designed to be luxurious. It is expertly distilled to deliver a higher alcoholic content than most typical gins and is available in numbered batches of a few thousand, with exclusivity once again having a hand in raising the asking price.
9. Lovage by Tanqueray
Cost - £46
Origin - UK
ABV - 47.3%
Why is it so expensive? - This gin is mostly expensive by the standards of the Tanqueray brand, representing the premium end of its current collection of spirits and providing a classical approach to distillation which makes use of the botanical conveniently known as lovage. This is not the only noteworthy ingredient, as the gin also includes liquorice, coriander and angelica root to generate an intense array of tastes. It manages to mix the modernity of its flavor profile with the traditionalism of its production methods and ingredients.
10. VJOP by Sipsmith
Cost - £41
Origin - UK
ABV - 57.7%
Why is it so expensive? - If you think juniper berries are the most important aspect of any gin's flavor, then this robust offering from Sipsmith could easily win you over. It will also manage to leave your bank balance looking relatively healthy, especially in contrast to the amounts you would have to fork out to own a lot of the other spirits in this list.
To Summarise
Of course, you can find gins for less than half the price of VJOP, but thanks to the popularity of this drink today you can be far more discerning than ever before. Spending a little more for this Sipsmith gin, or a lot more for alternatives from the more obscure and elite distilleries around the world is always an option if you feel like treating yourself.
