An interesting look at the history of gin, as well as its current position in our culture and the drinks market. A good balance between description of current brands and analysis of the past.

A concise review of many gins. Although now somewhat out of date, given the proliferation of gins on the market today, this book still has something to bring to the party. I enjoyed it very much, but think an update is well overdue. I recommend it to ginlovers..

Gin is ultra fashionable just now and guides like this are abundant. If you’re going to publish a new one, it needs to add something to the market or be different in some way. This is neither. Dominic Roskrow has the credentials to do better than this so it’s disappointing to read through such superficial descriptions of his choice of the world’s greatest gins. I emphasise his choice because I strongly disagree with some of them!

A few months ago another whisky writer, Blair Bowman, exposed many Scottish gins for being less than forthcoming about their provenance. Some of the big names, Shetland’s Blackwood for example, is manufactured largely in England. In fact, many Scottish gin producers buy in base spirit from England. Roskrow himself states that ‘the spirit used will influence the gin’ so connoisseurs - or even just those who really enjoy gin - need to be aware that the drink they are consuming may not be what it seems, authenticity and provenance being such important factors these days. Roskrow could have explored the origins of the base gins and included these in his descriptions but they barely get a mention except where it is distilled on site. For the record, I don’t have a problem with base spirit coming from elsewhere. I just want producers to tell me the whole story of their gin.

In his introduction, Roskrow states that most British gin is made in Scotland. It’s true - 70% of gin consumed in the UK is made here in Scotland and includes many of the ‘big names’. Why, then, in his rollcall of 100 gins, does Roskrow list a whopping 51 gins made in England and only 17 made in Scotland. There are many fabulous Scottish gins and yet, on the whole, those he includes are the old faithfuls such as Tanqueray, Hendricks, Pickerings. Glasgow’s Makar Gin? I’ve yet to meet anyone who enjoys it. Colonsay, although the bottle is lovely, is one of the most disappointing gins I’ve tasted.

This book is an opportunity lost, in my opinion. It’s a lazy list but I’m sure it will do well enough as a stocking filler at Christmas time.

With thanks to Collins and NetGalley for a free review copy.

Interesting information about gin types that are actually available quite easily and not just catering to the niche market.