Good gin is a botanical recipe you can taste — and the four gins on our shelf could hardly be more different: a 47-botanical Black Forest icon with a one-year-only 48th botanical, a California gin aged in French oak on a brandy base, a Japanese gin finished with Pacific Ocean water, and a Chicago gift box that covers the whole category in three small bottles. Del Mesa Liquor, a family-owned liquor store in San Diego, California, stocks all four in its gin collection, and every bottle below is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor today.
Four gins, four philosophies
- Monkey 47 Distiller's Cut Gin 2022 — $84.99 (3 in stock). The twelfth annual Distiller's Cut from Germany's Black Forest Distillery: the standard 47 botanicals plus 2022's 'Species Rara' — fresh woodruff, dried for weeks and macerated into the gin — bottled at 47% ABV in a 375mL bottle. About 4,000 bottles were made for the US, originally sold by raffle. Three in stock.
- Botanica Spiritvs Barrel Finished Gin — $49.99 (1 in stock). A California outlier: gin built on a brandy base distilled from northern California grape wines, matured a minimum of eight months in new toasted French oak, then blended semi-solera style with younger barrels. Juniper, vanilla and lemon verbena — a cross between brandy and gin. One bottle on the shelf.
- Etsu Pacific Ocean Taste Gin — $44.99 (1 in stock). Distilled at Asahikawa Distillery in Hokkaido, Japan — and 'Pacific Ocean Water' is literal: a touch of deep Pacific water joins Hokkaido spring water at dilution for a briny, mineral signature. Botanicals include yuzu, bitter orange peel and licorice root; 43% ABV, not chill-filtered. A gold medalist at the Global Gin Masters. One bottle in stock.
- Koval Organic Gin Trio Gift Pack — $51.99 (1 in stock). The gift answer from Chicago's Koval Distillery: three 200mL certified-organic bottles — the 94-proof Dry Gin, the 94-proof Barreled Gin (rested six months in charred whiskey barrels) and the 60-proof Cranberry Gin Liqueur, all from the same 13-botanical rye-base recipe. One gift pack in stock; more ideas in our gift sets collection.
How to drink them
The Monkey 47 Distiller's Cut earns a Martini — 47 botanicals do not need much company. The Etsu's salinity makes it the natural gin-and-tonic and highball bottle, while the Botanica Spiritvs, with its oak and brandy base, works where a whiskey would: try it in a Negroni. The Koval trio is a tasting flight in a box — Dry for Martinis, Barreled for an Old Fashioned riff, Cranberry for a spritz.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Monkey 47 special?
Forty-seven botanicals — an unusually long list that includes Black Forest lingonberries — plus, in the Distiller's Cut, one extra wild botanical chosen each year. The 2022 edition's woodruff will never be repeated in the same form.
What is barrel-aged gin?
Gin rested in oak, which adds vanilla, spice and color. The Botanica Spiritvs spends at least eight months in new toasted French oak on a grape-brandy base; Koval's Barreled Gin rests six months in charred whiskey barrels.
Which gin is best for a gift?
The Koval Organic Gin Trio at $51.99 — three styles in one box removes the guesswork. For a collector, the Monkey 47 Distiller's Cut 2022 at $84.99 is a raffle-only bottle most stores never had.
Can I order gin online?
Yes — every bottle listed is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, with shipping where permitted; see our shipping and return policy and FAQs.
Gin sits alongside the brandy-based spirits in our Cognac guide and the agave shelf in our mezcal guide. New arrivals land on the Del Mesa blog first.