The problem isn’t that there’s too much gin.
It’s that too many gins are alike.
For more than a decade, the category has grown through sheer accumulation. Every season brings new labels: a distinctive botanical, a colourful bottle, an origin story. The category is broad and constantly evolving. Yet, on the other side of the bar, telling one product from another is becoming increasingly difficult.
When a category becomes a formula
The premium gin boom has had positive effects: it has brought juniper back into the spotlight, revived interest in distillation and opened doors to small producers who previously had no access to the market.
Then came imitation. What began as a thoughtful approach to the product became a formula: local botanicals, a family story, a design recognisable from three metres away. But when a formula is repeated too often, it starts to lose its meaning.
Professional buyers are the first to notice, receiving the same pitch every week under a different label.
What really sets a gin apart?
Not the attention-grabbing botanicals. The difference lies, first and foremost, in the base spirit and the juniper. In a quality gin, the base spirit is more than just any neutral alcohol: its character comes through on the palate. And juniper must provide the backbone of the spirit, rather than simply being another ingredient on the list.
There is a test every professional knows: a gin that holds its own in a Dry Martini has been thoughtfully made. A gin that only works with plenty of tonic, ice and garnishes needs a helping hand.
The cost of a gin list without a clear rationale
No venue can realistically work with forty gins. It can stock them, but it cannot tell their stories. A product that the front-of-house team cannot explain is ordered out of habit or on price.
A spirits list works much like a wine list: what matters is not the number of products, but the ability to justify each one. Ten thoughtfully selected gins offer more scope for choice and conversation than forty accumulated under commercial pressure.
Gin in the Ludovico Soranzo portfolio
We apply the same selection criteria to gin as we do to the rest of our portfolio. A product is not included simply because the category is fashionable or the brand is well known. It earns its place when it has a profile we can stand behind, clear positioning and a story that professionals can share with their customers.
We work with more than 1,500 products. That makes selection essential. Our customers in hospitality and specialist retail do not need more options; they need the right ones, with consistent availability and a reason to earn their place on the list.
A category with further to go
Gin has not run out of potential. Novelty has run out of power as a selling point. Growth will shift towards products that stand up to a second look: sound distillation, a consistent identity and a clear role on the spirits list.
Those gins are out there. The challenge is finding them among the new releases.
How many gins are on your list? And how many could you make a case for, one by one?
