SpiritFacts
spirit

The healthiest gin, ranked.

Gin starts where vodka ends: a clean neutral spirit redistilled with juniper and other botanicals. The base is essentially congener-free, but the botanical oils carry trace allergens and the production method matters more than the brand label.

Full Gin category profile → Is gin gluten-free? →

What is the healthiest gin?

Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray are both London Dry style with no added sugar and clean production. Tanqueray uses only four botanicals: the simplest botanical bill in mainstream gin. Beefeater is a strong third pick at higher proof.

See the full ranking Every metric compared
Category baseline chemistry
Congeners
Low
Histamines
Very Low
Polyphenols
Low
Sulfites
Very Low
Tannins
Very Low
Sugar
Very Low
Additives
Low

Gin brands, lightest first

Tap any brand for full chemistry breakdown.

Filter

Showing all 14 gin brands.

  1. 1

    Beefeater

    London Dry
    44% 40%
    London, England
    3/10
    Rate it
  2. 2

    Bombay Sapphire

    London Dry
    40%
    Hampshire, England
    3/10
    Rate it
  3. 3

    Gordon's London Dry

    London Dry
    40%
    London, England
    3/10
    Rate it
  4. 4

    Seagram's Extra Dry

    American Dry
    40%
    United States
    3/10
    Rate it
  5. 5

    Malfy Originale

    Italian Dry
    41%
    Moncalieri, Piedmont, Italy
    3/10
    Rate it
  6. 6

    Plymouth Gin

    Plymouth
    41.2%
    Plymouth, England
    3/10
    Rate it
  7. 7

    Hendrick's

    Contemporary
    41.4%
    Girvan, Scotland
    3/10
    Rate it
  8. 8

    Sipsmith London Dry

    London Dry
    41.6%
    Chiswick, London, England
    3/10
    Rate it
  9. 9

    Aviation American Gin

    American Dry
    42%
    Portland, Oregon
    3/10
    Rate it
  10. 10

    Empress 1908 Indigo

    Contemporary
    42.5%
    Victoria, British Columbia
    3/10
    Rate it
  11. 11

    Roku Gin

    Japanese Dry
    43%
    Osaka, Japan
    3/10
    Rate it
  12. 12

    Tanqueray London Dry

    London Dry
    43.1%
    Cameron Bridge, Scotland
    3/10
    Rate it
  13. 13

    The Botanist

    Islay Dry
    46%
    Islay, Scotland
    4/10
    Rate it
  14. 14

    Monkey 47

    Schwarzwald Dry
    47%
    Black Forest, Germany
    4/10
    Rate it

What makes one gin healthier than another

  • ▸Vapor infusion is gentler than maceration
  • ▸London Dry style means no added sugar after distillation
  • ▸Higher proof reduces water cut and any glycerin masking
  • ▸Watch for almond and citrus in botanical bills
  • ▸Skip "pink gin" and flavored variants: sugar-loaded
  • ▸Proof is the calorie dial: 40% is ~98 cal per 1.5oz, 47% is ~115
  • ▸Zero sugar is the category norm, so "low sugar gin" marketing means nothing
  • ▸Botanical count drives aroma, not hangover load. Strength drives both

Every gin scored on all of it

The criteria above are only useful if you can check them, so each one that varies between brands has its own column here. Lower is lighter in every column.

Swipe to compare one measure at a time

Hangover

Hangover index

1 / 9

Congener load and ethanol dose, scored 1 to 10.

  1. 1Aviation American Gin3/10
  2. 1Beefeater3/10
  3. 1Bombay Sapphire3/10
  4. 1Empress 1908 Indigo3/10
  5. 1Gordon's London Dry3/10
  6. 1Hendrick's3/10
  7. 1Malfy Originale3/10
  8. 1Plymouth Gin3/10
  9. 1Roku Gin3/10
  10. 1Seagram's Extra Dry3/10
  11. 1Sipsmith London Dry3/10
  12. 1Tanqueray London Dry3/10
  13. 13Monkey 474/10
  14. 13The Botanist4/10

Mean chemistry load

2 / 9

Mean of the seven chemistry scores.

  1. 1Aviation American Gin1.3/5
  2. 1Beefeater1.3/5
  3. 1Bombay Sapphire1.3/5
  4. 1Gordon's London Dry1.3/5
  5. 1Malfy Originale1.3/5
  6. 1Monkey 471.3/5
  7. 1Plymouth Gin1.3/5
  8. 1Roku Gin1.3/5
  9. 1Sipsmith London Dry1.3/5
  10. 1Tanqueray London Dry1.3/5
  11. 11Seagram's Extra Dry1.6/5
  12. 11The Botanist1.6/5
  13. 13Hendrick's1.7/5
  14. 14Empress 1908 Indigo1.9/5

Strength

3 / 9

Alcohol by volume as bottled.

  1. 1Beefeater40%
  2. 1Bombay Sapphire40%
  3. 1Gordon's London Dry40%
  4. 1Seagram's Extra Dry40%
  5. 5Malfy Originale41%
  6. 6Plymouth Gin41.2%
  7. 7Hendrick's41.4%
  8. 8Sipsmith London Dry41.6%
  9. 9Aviation American Gin42%
  10. 10Empress 1908 Indigo42.5%
  11. 11Roku Gin43%
  12. 12Tanqueray London Dry43.1%
  13. 13The Botanist46%
  14. 14Monkey 4747%

Calories per 1.5oz

4 / 9

Calculated for a 1.5oz pour, mixers excluded.

  1. 1Beefeater98
  2. 1Bombay Sapphire98
  3. 1Gordon's London Dry98
  4. 4Hendrick's101
  5. 4Plymouth Gin101
  6. 6Sipsmith London Dry102
  7. 7Aviation American Gin103
  8. 8Roku Gin105
  9. 9Tanqueray London Dry106
  10. 10Monkey 47115
  11. Seagram's Extra Dry–
  12. Malfy Originale–
  13. Empress 1908 Indigo–
  14. The Botanist–

Grain-free at source

5 / 9

Grain-free at source, or distilled from grain.

  1. Monkey 47Grain-free
  2. Aviation American GinFrom grain
  3. BeefeaterFrom grain
  4. Bombay SapphireFrom grain
  5. Gordon's London DryFrom grain
  6. Hendrick'sFrom grain
  7. Malfy OriginaleFrom grain
  8. Plymouth GinFrom grain
  9. Roku GinFrom grain
  10. Sipsmith London DryFrom grain
  11. Tanqueray London DryFrom grain
  12. The BotanistFrom grain
  13. Seagram's Extra Dry–
  14. Empress 1908 Indigo–

Histamines

6 / 9

Bacterial byproduct: flushing, headaches, congestion.

  1. 1Aviation American GinVery Low
  2. 1BeefeaterVery Low
  3. 1Bombay SapphireVery Low
  4. 1Gordon's London DryVery Low
  5. 1Malfy OriginaleVery Low
  6. 1Monkey 47Very Low
  7. 1Plymouth GinVery Low
  8. 1Roku GinVery Low
  9. 1Seagram's Extra DryVery Low
  10. 1Sipsmith London DryVery Low
  11. 1Tanqueray London DryVery Low
  12. 12Empress 1908 IndigoLow
  13. 12Hendrick'sLow
  14. 12The BotanistLow

Polyphenols

7 / 9

Antioxidant plant compounds, protective in small doses.

  1. 1Aviation American GinLow
  2. 1BeefeaterLow
  3. 1Bombay SapphireLow
  4. 1Gordon's London DryLow
  5. 1Malfy OriginaleLow
  6. 1Monkey 47Low
  7. 1Plymouth GinLow
  8. 1Roku GinLow
  9. 1Seagram's Extra DryLow
  10. 1Sipsmith London DryLow
  11. 1Tanqueray London DryLow
  12. 12Empress 1908 IndigoModerate
  13. 12Hendrick'sModerate
  14. 12The BotanistModerate

Tannins

8 / 9

Astringent compounds from skins, seeds and barrels.

  1. 1Aviation American GinVery Low
  2. 1BeefeaterVery Low
  3. 1Bombay SapphireVery Low
  4. 1Gordon's London DryVery Low
  5. 1Hendrick'sVery Low
  6. 1Malfy OriginaleVery Low
  7. 1Monkey 47Very Low
  8. 1Plymouth GinVery Low
  9. 1Roku GinVery Low
  10. 1Sipsmith London DryVery Low
  11. 1Tanqueray London DryVery Low
  12. 1The BotanistVery Low
  13. 13Empress 1908 IndigoLow
  14. 13Seagram's Extra DryLow

Additives

9 / 9

Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, sorbates.

  1. 1Aviation American GinVery Low
  2. 1BeefeaterVery Low
  3. 1Bombay SapphireVery Low
  4. 1Gordon's London DryVery Low
  5. 1Malfy OriginaleVery Low
  6. 1Monkey 47Very Low
  7. 1Plymouth GinVery Low
  8. 1Roku GinVery Low
  9. 1Sipsmith London DryVery Low
  10. 1Tanqueray London DryVery Low
  11. 1The BotanistVery Low
  12. 12Empress 1908 IndigoLow
  13. 12Hendrick'sLow
  14. 12Seagram's Extra DryLow

Every gin here scores the same on congeners (low), sulfites (very low) and sugar (very low), so those have no panel of their own.

Factors are scored 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). Load is the mean of all seven. Hang is the overall hangover index, which weights congeners and ethanol dose more heavily than a flat mean does, which is why the two columns do not always agree.

Calories are calculated, not copied: 7 kcal per gram of ethanol and 4 per gram of carbohydrate, with ethanol mass taken from the bottling ABV across a 1.5oz pour at a density of 0.789 g/mL. Mixers are not included; a tonic adds roughly 80 calories of sugar, soda water adds none.

FAQ

Which gin is the healthiest? ▾

Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray are both London Dry style with no added sugar and clean production. Tanqueray uses only four botanicals: the simplest botanical bill in mainstream gin. Beefeater is a strong third pick at higher proof.

Is gin healthier than vodka? ▾

Vodka is marginally cleaner because gin carries botanical compounds vodka doesn't. But unflavored gin is in the same low-load tier as vodka, within rounding error for hangover impact.

Does gin cause headaches? ▾

Plain London Dry gin rarely causes headaches in most drinkers. Contemporary gins with post-distillation flavoring (rose, cucumber, citrus essences) sometimes trigger histamine-style reactions in sensitive drinkers. Hendrick's is the most-reported example.

How many calories are in gin? ▾

About 98 calories in a 1.5oz pour of dry gin at 40% ABV, and essentially all of it is ethanol. A London Dry has no sugar, no carbohydrate and no fat, so bottling strength is the only variable: Sipsmith at 41.6% runs about 102, Tanqueray at 43.1% about 106, and Monkey 47 at 47% about 115. The mixer usually matters more than the gin does. Tonic adds roughly 80 calories of sugar; soda water adds none.

Does gin have sugar? ▾

Dry gin has none worth counting. London Dry is legally capped at 0.1 grams of sweetening per litre, which works out to about four thousandths of a gram in a 1.5oz pour. Old Tom, sloe gin, pink gin and the flavoured lines are different products entirely and can carry 10 grams or more of real sugar per serving.

Which gin has the fewest calories? ▾

The lowest-proof one on the shelf, because ethanol is the only calorie source in a dry gin. Gordon's is the lightest mainstream bottling at 40% in the US, about 98 calories per 1.5oz, and the 37.5% European bottling of the same gin drops to about 92. Beyond that, every 40% dry gin is within a calorie or two of every other, so the choice is a matter of taste rather than nutrition.

Is gin or tonic the problem for calories? ▾

The tonic, by a wide margin. A 1.5oz gin contributes about 98 calories and zero sugar. A standard 5oz serving of full-sugar tonic adds roughly 80 calories and about 20 grams of sugar, so it nearly doubles the drink and supplies all of its sugar. Switching to soda water with a lime wedge removes that entirely and changes nothing about the gin.

More on gin

Gin calories and sugar, brand by brand

Every major gin calculated from its ABV, plus the styles that do carry real sugar.
Gin vs vodka: which is healthier?

The same neutral base, one botanical detour, and where the sliver of difference lives.

Compare across categories

How gin stacks up against other categories.

Overall ranking Brand comparison tool Chemistry glossary What helps a hangover How long a hangover lasts Strongest alcohol Thanksgiving cocktails