There is gin, and then there is gin. Alongside the more classic London Drys lies a whole world of aromatic gins made not so much to be drunk as to be tasted: spirits in which the botanicals tell you about a territory, a season, a precise idea held by whoever built them.
The problem, when you first approach this category, is that a list of bottles helps very little: the labels change every year, the profiles do not. So we have organised this guide around six aromatic directions — six different ways a gin can move away from the London Dry without ceasing to be gin. Recognising them lets you choose confidently even in front of a label you have never seen before.
What Makes a Gin "Aromatic"
An aromatic gin is defined by botanicals that go beyond juniper and the classic citrus fruits: Mediterranean herbs, flowers, fruits, spices or aromatic grapes capable of building a complex, layered profile. These are spirits that change in the glass, revealing different nuances with every sip — which is why they lend themselves to slow tasting rather than quick drinking.
One useful clarification: aromatic does not mean sweet, and it does not mean the juniper disappears either. In a good aromatic gin juniper remains the backbone, and what changes is what gets built around it. If you can no longer taste the juniper, what you have in the glass has stopped being a gin. We've written a dedicated piece on the category.
The 6 Aromatic Directions to Taste in 2026
1. Mediterranean Herbal
Rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, sometimes olive or bay leaf. This is the direction that softens the juniper in favour of a green, faintly saline profile, almost culinary. Tasted neat it surprises anyone expecting a "perfumed" gin: here the aroma is dry, resinous, Mediterranean in the sense of the scrubland rather than the citrus grove. In mixing it stands up well to savoury garnishes — an olive, a strip of sun-dried tomato.
2. Aromatic Grape
The most recent direction and, for the taster, the most interesting. Here the defining botanical is neither a herb nor a spice but a grape, and the difference is immediately apparent: grapes bring a fruity, floral component into the spirit that dried botanicals cannot give, along with a fuller texture.
The Italian example is GIN NIRO, an artisanal Sicilian Zibibbo gin, made with Sicilian zibibbo from an island of volcanic origin. The Mediterranean's aromatic grape par excellence, grown on mineral soil, gives the spirit a fruity and floral depth impossible to replicate with standard botanicals. Distilling the botanicals separately guarantees purity; the sip brings together citrus freshness, spiced notes and a velvety close. In 2026 it won the Silver Medal at the World Gin Awards in the Flavoured Gin category. A single 70 cl format, €41.90. The details on the grape are here.
3. Floral
Petals, elderflower, chamomile, lavender, sometimes rose. This is the most delicate direction and the easiest to approach: immediate on the nose, soft on the palate, with a short, clean finish. An excellent way in for anyone who finds juniper too sharp, but it needs a careful hand — the line between floral and soapy is thin, and it gets crossed quickly when the producer pushes too hard.
4. Spiced
Cardamom, pepper, toasted coriander, ginger, cloves. This is the direction that demands the most attention when tasting, because the spices arrive at different moments: first the nose, then the palate, then a warm finish that lingers. Drink it slowly and slightly warmer, so the aromas don't close up.
5. Dark Fruit
Blackberry, blueberry, plum, sometimes red berries. A soft, almost silky profile, often with a colour that leans pink. It is the direction that pleases the widest range of palates, and also the one where shortcuts are easiest to find: if the fruit tastes of syrup rather than fruit, the bottle was built to please immediately, not to be tasted.
6. Extreme Foraged
Very wide blends — ten, twenty, sometimes more than forty botanicals — often hand-gathered within a tight radius around the distillery. Roots, barks, wild berries, herbs that appear in no other recipe. It is the most layered direction and the slowest to read: every sip reveals a different ingredient, and it asks for patience. Drink it neat, in small steps.
How to Taste an Aromatic Gin Properly
Serve it at 15-18 °C in a wide glass that concentrates the aromas. Pour a small measure, swirl the glass gently and bring your nose in before tasting: most of the experience is olfactory, and rushing is the fastest way to miss it. If you prefer to dilute it, choose a neutral tonic water and a single large ice cube, so the botanicals don't get buried.
Go deeper with our guide to the ideal glasses for a gin and tonic, and if you want to understand how to spot real craftsmanship before buying, you'll find it in our guide to the craft gin profiles of 2026. To experiment with mixing, there are our recipes and the famous gin-based cocktails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which profile should you start from?
It depends on what you usually drink. Anyone coming from aromatic white wine will feel at home immediately in the grape profile; anyone who finds juniper too sharp is better off starting with floral or dark fruit; anyone who loves amari and vermouth will appreciate the spiced direction. Mediterranean herbal and extreme foraged are the two most demanding: better tackled once you've trained your palate a little.
Should aromatic gins be drunk neat or in cocktails?
Both. Tasting neat, or with very little ice, lets you catch every botanical; a well-built cocktail brings out its dominant notes. GIN NIRO, for example, works well both neat and in a stripped-back gin and tonic, with a neutral tonic and no overbearing garnish.
Is an aromatic gin sweeter than a London Dry?
Not necessarily, and this is the most common misunderstanding. The perception of sweetness comes from fruity and floral aromas, not from sugar: many aromatic gins are as dry as a London Dry. If a bottle really does taste sweet on the palate, it's worth checking the label to see whether it's a gin or a gin-based liqueur.
How long does an open bottle last?
Gin doesn't go rancid, but the more volatile botanicals lose intensity: a year after opening, a complex aromatic gin is still good, but it tells you less. Store it upright, away from light, and if you tend to have several open at once, keep only a few in rotation.
Start Your Aromatic Journey
If you want to begin with the most distinctive direction in the selection, GIN NIRO (70 cl, €41.90) is the way into the aromatic grape profile: an artisanal Sicilian Zibibbo gin, distilled in small batches, with free shipping within Italy. One sip, and you'll understand why Zibibbo changes the rules of the game.
