11 American Gins to Try

Lately, it’s become easier than ever to make that drink a delicious cocktail spiked with American-made gin.
Although London dry gins will never go out of style, the growing ranks of “New American” or “New Western” gins have made strong strides. In addition to the required juniper, which defines gin, these new American gins may be flavored with a wider array of botanicals—often nods to regional fruit, citrus or floral ingredients, as well as herbs and spices.
Amid this innovation, we can also report that barrel-aged gins are increasingly exciting. This new-to-us style of gin (in truth, it’s a very old technique, with historical roots back to when barrels were the primary means of transporting spirits), reclaims barrels that previously held whiskey or wine. Wine-lovers in particular may want to finagle a bottle of St. George’s Dry Rye “Reposado”—a term usually reserved for aged Tequila.
In another sign of the times: Local Wine and Spirits, a Chicago-based producer and distributor, is petitioning the government to include “American Dry” as a bona fide gin category.
“It will be the tip of the spear in moving towards greater appellation in our craft spirits,” LWS says. “We can envision the day when regional gins like Sonoma Coast Gin, Rocky Mountain Gin, Southwest Chaparral Gin all exist and create a tapestry of style that is as unique as the people who live in various regions of our country.” (Want to sign their petition?)
That kind of independent spirit is what the Fourth of July is all about—and we’ll gladly drink to that.
194 Bourbon Barrel Gin (USA; Watershed Distillery, Columbus, OH)
293 Karner Blue Distilled Gin (USA; Flag Hill Distillery, Lee, NH)
393 Waterloo Texas-Style Gin (USA; Treaty Oak Distilling Co., Austin, TX)
492 Bluecoat American Dry Gin (USA; Philadelphia Distilling, Philadelphia, PA)
591 Counter Gin (USA; Batch 206 Distillers, Seattle, WA)
691 TRU organic gin (USA; Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles, CA)
790 Bummer & Lazarus Dry Gin (USA; Raff Distillerie, San Francisco, CA)
890 North Shore Distillery Distiller’s Gin No. 11 USA; North Shore Distillery, Lake Bluff, IL)
990 St. George Dry Rye Reposado Gin (USA; St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA)
1089 Curious Gin (USA; Catskill Distilling Company, Bethel, NY)
1188 Copperworks Distilling Company (USA; Copperworks Distilling, Seattle, WA)