Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
Gin has to be made with juniper berries (which are actually more of a fleshy cone seed), but from there, the ingredients can go in all sorts of directions. The possibilities are endless. Really. We’re talking everything from orris root to angelica root, almond to anise, and cassia bark to dragon eye fruit. Bitter orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit are all in play. So, too, are grains of paradise, nutmeg, saffron, baobab, cinnamon, and frankincense.
Throw in an ongoing gin renaissance that’s increasingly international and finding traction in surprising places such as Argentina and even India. We have a classic spirit very suitable for a subscription service. With the right experts sleuthing and sharing compelling new expressions, the regularly delivered discoveries can be as wide-ranging as gin recipes. Read on for the best gin of the month clubs.
Best Gin of the Month Clubs of 2023
- Best Overall: Mash&Grape MashBox
- Best Education: Taster’s Club Gin of the Month
- Best Style: Flaviar Gin Club
- Best for Craft: PlumpJack Gin Club
Best Overall : Mash&Grape MashBox
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/MashandGrape-4d500640c4cf4497af940a23a06bdd91.jpg)
Mash&Grape
Why We Chose It: Interesting flavors from new, quality brands translate to constant discoveries and value for members.
Outstanding curation
Access to in-house marketplace
Exclusive bottle offers
National retailer network
Relationships with brands
3-month minimum
Doesn’t distribute to 13 states
The foundational concept for MashBox was to capture the curated experience of Mash&Grape's impressive spirits and wine market and automate it with regular shipments.
"We are in the middle of a distilling boom not seen in a hundred years, and are lucky to have new and amazing options to explore," Mash&Grape's mission statement reads, in part. "Making this exploration easier is our job and we scour the planet looking for products that excite and amaze us so that we can share them with you."
Testimonials reveal Mash&Grape's audience is pleased with the results, making founder and CEO Adi Pal proud.
"Our customers like what they see and trust us to send them something awesome every month," he says.
For the MashBox Club box, the "something awesome" includes flavorful revelations like Desgin Gin, Cold River Gin, and Bitter Truth Pink Gin at a modest $44 a month.
Members receive tasting notes and "gin secrets" with each shipment. They also get access to Mash&Grape's retail marketplace and discounts on very limited spirits from partner distilleries.
Best Education : Taster’s Club Gin of the Month
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Tasters-Club-9b065b27497640fe99d09109e076e2c6.jpg)
Taster’s Club
Why We Chose It: Taster’s Club provides exciting new gin discoveries and comprehensive educational materials at a reasonable rate.
Solid value includes shipping
Surprising selections
Members bottle shop
Streamlined gifting
Customizable frequency
Doesn't distribute to five states
Taster’s Club announces upfront—“We curate gins produced all around the world, giving you a delicious variety for sipping and cocktail mixing.”—and backs it up with its boxes, which include unique and extensive “Gin 101” course material. It covers a given month’s selection, production techniques, trends, and history, plus topics like how to properly taste and evaluate a gin, different gin styles, distilleries around the world, and gin production techniques.
The grade of gin that comes with those materials matters much, of course, and Taster’s comes through there too. Sample craft brands include Denning’s Point Distillery, Sipsmith London, and St. George Spirits.
Best Style : Flaviar Gin Club
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Flaviar-b99c995cb3b94d02a1a06711d8438bd7.png)
Flaviar
Exclusive coupon code "JOIN6" for a 6% discount on all Memberships ON TOP of our special deals.
Why We Chose It: Flaviar does gin with style and substance, delivering the most gins to try with a bundle of other extras to boot.
Expert curation
Members experiences
Free shipping on qualified orders
Live tasting events
Annual subscription only
It can be hard to know which bottles to order
It's Gin O'Clock. Ori-Gins. Gin Lane. So go the tempting themes with which Flaviar builds its gin tasting boxes: three dram-sized, 1.5-ounce samples paired with lively tasting notes, a coaster, and helpful tasting guides.
As a member of Flaviar’s standard annual subscription, you’ll be able to receive up to two different products—both tasting boxes and full-size bottles—every year. Starting at just $159 per year, a membership to Flaviar includes monthly access to “The Vault,” which offers the chance to acquire rarities made possible by Flaviar's partner producers. A strong roster of auxiliary elements—including tasting and blending events (live and online) and VIP distillery tours—are appealing factors too. Meanwhile, Flaviar's online blog is a rich resource for spirits news, recipes, and history.
If you want access to more products, select the All Access annual subscription which includes eight products of your choice—one tasting box and one bottle per quarter—and many other amenities, all for $349 per year.
Members select a bottle from a gallery of spirits (including a wealth of non-gins) to receive either annually or every quarter, depending on the subscription level you select. However, you can also opt to purchase more products from Flaviar’s shop and receive free shipping on orders over $60.
Best for Craft : PlumpJack Gin Club
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/PlumpJack-b0c7b571301d45419daf978dd5ef93e7.jpg)
PlumpJack
Why We Chose It: PlumpJack’s selection of gins jumps off the page. The rest of its package, with an emphasis on cocktail recipes, is solid too.
Good value
Drink recipes
Clever curation
Clean interface
Customer service
Limited to quarterly
Shipping costs
For a modest $40 to $45 per quarter, PlumpJack is on the money with a pick from a wide variety of gins from all over the world—and all over the botanical flavor map. Having relationships with innovative small-production operations is an apparent strength from a glance at PlumpJack's gin inventory, where bottles including Nikka Coffey Gin, Wild Sardinia Gin, Freeland Gin, Bimini Gin, and Corgi Earl Grey Gin all appear. Bottles come with producer background intel and recipes specific to that gin.
One great example of PlumpJack's rare revelations is Gray Whale Gin, which is made from botanicals sprinkled along the California coast migrational path of the namesake cetacean sends part of its proceeds to support ocean health.
Though he's heading toward retirement, Paul Birman has been the buyer at San Francisco-based PlumpJack for 20 years and, as a gin enthusiast, steered the Gin Club for at least a half-decade. Spirits Supervisor Sam Crocker believes Birman's approach to gins will continue to guide the club well into the future.
"We're always looking for unique gins that can stand up in a martini, which is how Sam likes to experience gin," Birman says. "He tries to find smaller producers with great stories." Mission accomplished.
Final Verdict
PlumpJack and Flaviar provide worthy experiences by homing in on memorable small-batch gins and furnishing lots of relevant supporting materials—and Flaviar goes above and beyond with its tasting bundles of three additional gins. The only problem: Both limit shipments to every three months. Taster's Club is a rock-solid option with its own emphasis on education and monthly rhythm, but Mash&Grape gets the ultimate nod for its monthly consistency with superlative craft gins at a very modest price point.
Compare the Best Gin of the Month Clubs
Company | Category | Samples per Shipment | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Mash and Grape Best Overall | Craft | One | $44/month |
Taster’s Club Best Education | General | One | $44/month |
Flaviar Best Style | Craft | Four | $159/year |
PlumpJack Best for Craft | Craft | One | $40-$45/month |
FAQs
What Is Gin?
Gin is a colorless alcoholic spirit distilled from grain or malt and flavored with juniper berries and aromatics like caraway seeds, star anise, and citrus peels. It first debuted as a medicinal liquid made by monks and alchemists across Europe and evolved into a commodity in the spirits industry. Gin is frequently produced from a wide range of herbal inputs, giving rise to a number of distinct styles and brands.
What Does a Gin of the Month Club Include?
Typically, clubs include a bottle of gin mailed at regular intervals with tasting notes and background. Schedules and duration vary.
How Much Does a Gin of the Month Club Cost?
Gin of the month clubs start at $40 a month and generally don’t exceed $95 a shipment.
Methodology
We researched clubs and spoke to independent and club-affiliated experts on what they offer to select our favorites. We considered diversity of offerings, curating philosophies, cost (and value), frequency, accompanying literature, and growth of membership. Education was also important and is a strength of each option on our list, notably Taster's Club. Flaviar’s club definitely provides the most samples per box and has a social and inviting vibe with its slick tasting bundle of three spirits. But in the end, the sheer amount of product research and revelations that Mash&Grape delivers won us over.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-94120492-cf8761c8abf54515ab269dcae9a545d9.jpg)
imagenavi / Getty Images