The German Gin Guide
On This Page: German Gin and Distillery directory, reviews and tasting notes, distillery tours in Germany, interviews with German distillers, and industry insights.
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Germany is home to a vast wealth of distilleries and gins, with growth in recent years taking the number of commercial distilleries through the hundreds and the number of individual gin products into the thousands. Despite having abundant native juniper, which has long been used by Germans in cooking and in spirits, vodka was the German spirit of choice for many decades and it has been the past 2 decades that have really seen the rise in German gin production and consumption. Read on to discover the best gins Germany has to offer!
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German Gin Reviews - A to Z
Elephant Gin
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Elephant Gin was launched in 2013 by Robin and Tessa Gerlach who were inspired by the flavours of Africa and had a vision to help wildlife conversation trusts. Elephant Gin features an array of African botanicals including Devil's Claw, Lion's Tail, Buchu and Baobab, and through donating 15% of bottle profits to elephant conversation, Elephant Gin has donated over €1 million to date. Their range now also includes their Navy Strength Gin, Orange & Cacao Gin and Sloe Gin.
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Hartingowe Gin (Harz Distillers)
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Harz Distillers was established in 2020 in the Harz highland area of North Germany, and their flagship gin, Hartingowe Dry Gin was launched the same year before the launches of gin liqueurs and limited edition gins. The Hartingowe Gin name derives from the historic name for the Harz region, meaning "The Districts of Harting", and 'Harting' in turn derives from the High German form 'Hardt' or 'Hart' which is an expression for a mountain forest or a wooded mountain range.
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Monkey 47 Gin
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Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin was founded in 2010 and became part of Pernod Ricard in 2016. It is distilled in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) region of Germany and the '47' in its name comes both from being bottled at 47% ABV and using 47 botanicals, including lingonberries, cranberries and spruce shoots. Discover the full story behind the 'monkey' element of the name in our full profile and review of Monkey 47 Gin.
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Old Well Gin
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Located in a refurbished Well House in north-eastern Germany's Mecklenburgische Seenplatte region, Old Well Distillery was launched in 2020 by founder and distiller, Alex Remzi. Old Well Gin is produced using two copper Holstein stills, a charcoal-filtered grain base spirit, and juniper handpicked in the surrounding forests of the Müritz National Park. In 2022, Old Well Gin was named 'Best in Germany' in The Gin Guide Awards.
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Wild Lion Gin
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Wild Lion Gin was launched in 2022 by Joshua Weise, combining his passion for gin and lions. The gin features botanicals including cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, and African cocoa beans which are infused in the gin after distillation.
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Award-Winning German Gins
The recent winners of the 'Best in Germany' Award in The Gin Guide Awards are:
The recent winners of the 'Best in Germany' Award in The Gin Guide Awards are:
- Winner 2023: E1NSER Premium Dry Gin
- Winner 2022: Old Well Gin
- Winner 2021: Renton Gin
- Winner 2020: GINSTR: Stuttgart Dry Gin
Distilleries & Tours in Germany
A growing number of distilleries in Germany are open for tours and/or tastings, and they are wonderful experiences for gin lovers living in or visiting these areas:
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Meet the Makers
Get to know some of Germany's finest gin creators and distillers in our 'Meet the Maker' interviews. Find out how they created and launched their gin, how it's made, what botanicals are used, how best to serve their gins and what they have planned for the future:
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The Inside Scoop
With Robin Gerlach of Elephant Gin
We caught up with Robin Gerlach, Co-Founder of Elephant Gin, to find out more about the German gin industry and how it has evolved in recent years:
In Germany, we’ve seen a big wave of more sophisticated drinking, with significant interest in perfect serves and classic cocktails. Compared to the UK, where gin has been an established spirits category for many years, Germany is more of a late adopter. But with a growing interest, lots of local gin distilleries have been popping up all around the country.
Germany has a very strong local spirits market, and hyperlocal products have historically always been preferred. In general, Germans tend to prefer smaller brands that offer premium but affordable products, rather than trying new flavours or trendy drinks. But the German market is slowly evolving. On the one hand, local craft brands continue to grow, but international brands with locally produced spirits bring more variety and also serious competition.
Read more of Robin's insights into the German gin industry - full interview.
In Germany, we’ve seen a big wave of more sophisticated drinking, with significant interest in perfect serves and classic cocktails. Compared to the UK, where gin has been an established spirits category for many years, Germany is more of a late adopter. But with a growing interest, lots of local gin distilleries have been popping up all around the country.
Germany has a very strong local spirits market, and hyperlocal products have historically always been preferred. In general, Germans tend to prefer smaller brands that offer premium but affordable products, rather than trying new flavours or trendy drinks. But the German market is slowly evolving. On the one hand, local craft brands continue to grow, but international brands with locally produced spirits bring more variety and also serious competition.
Read more of Robin's insights into the German gin industry - full interview.
