How to taste gin like a pro – gin tasting tips

In the York Gin shop, we encourage customers to really taste the gins we give them to sample. We must be doing something right - we're officially the best shop in York!

And you can use the advice we give in the shop to get the most out of your gin drinking. You can also use these principles if you want to run your own gin-tasting session.

Be warned – if you follow these steps, gin drinking will never be the same!

The four steps

1 Open the bottle and use your nose

A large proportion of your experience of any flavours comes from the sense of smell. If you hold your nose, you won’t taste much - this is true not only of gin but virtually any food or drink. So, what can you detect? Are you getting peppery or flowery or citrus notes perhaps?

2 Try neat at room temperature

Don’t worry – we’re only talking about a tiny amount of gin. Pour a little into your glass, just take a tiny amount and let a little run over your tongue, then breathe gently. You’ll sense the different botanicals clearly. The sides of your tongue have particular taste buds, so it helps if you let the gin coat your whole tongue. You’ll get more out of the tasting!

3 Over ice

Pour a couple of thimblefuls over a block of ice. Here, you’ll usually find the flavours open up and you’ll taste something else. This is because the water in the ice interacts with the alcohol and oils in the gin, and allows different flavour molecules to be released.

4 In a G&T or cocktail

Tasting over ice and neat should have given you a good idea of the flavours you can taste and which you most like. These stages should be a good guide as to whether you want to add tonic or throw yourself straight into a cocktail.

The York Gin Discovery Box

One perfect way to taste several gins over an evening is with our Discovery Box.

Five gins, five Fever-Trees, five garnishes, five serves and tasting notes for all of them - beautifully packaged and with free UK delivery.

The Discovery Box is a great treat to yourself or a delightful gift for a loved one. If several of you have a box, you can organise your own simultaneous online tasting!

York Gin Discovery Box: More info & buy