Best Summer Gin 2025: Top Picks & Reviews

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Summer is here, complete with blossoming botanicals and buzzing bees. If you’re in need of a fresh, fancy sip to match those vibes, check out Silent Pool Gin.

Hailing from Surrey, England, the ultra-premium new style of London Dry Gin was masterminded by former ITV director Ian McCulloch. It features 24 botanicals and — the special ingredient — locally sourced honey. The result is a deliciously smooth, layered gin that’s best enjoyed outdoors after a hot day. Pick up a bottle at Total Wine here.

Silent Pool’s complexity comes courtesy of a laborious four-step distillation process. First, botanicals are macerated in a tank with Neutral Grain Spirit. Then there’s a tea infusion, which sees floral botanicals steeped separately. Botanicals are then placed in a vapor basket at the top of the copper pot still, mingling with the alcohol vapors. Then comes the (especially) fun part: Before distillation, additional botanicals — including honey from hives behind the distillery — are added directly into the pot.

All this yields one of the most unique new gins we’ve tasted in a while. The nose features gentle citrus and floral notes. The honey flavor is just barely noticeable on the finish, but it imbues Silent Pool with a wonderful oily mouthfeel. This also helps the juniper and the fresh herbal flavors linger and develop on the palate. The overall profile is subtle and nuanced, so we recommend enjoying Silent Pool in a martini (try it with an orange twist) or other spirit-forward cocktail. Strong mixers will overpower it.

Head to Total Wine to grab a bottle of Silent Pool Gin now.