The 2023 edition of the World Gin Awards is underway - and the country winners have just been announced!

Firstly, a big congratulations to the distilleries that have fought hard to create some of our best G & T's, and their well-deserved big wins.

Let's take a look at some of the best Asian gins that the World Gin Awards panel thinks you need to try in 2023.

1. Tanglin Gin - Country Winner For London Dry Gin

Now this one is an old favorite. Tanglin Gin from Singapore never fails to impress with their Singapore Gin, which aims to best represent the intense flavors of the country, with notes of young ginger, chilli and orange peels.

| Read: The Distillery That Put Singapore On The World Map: Tanglin Gin

You can also find it here on Amazon.

Image courtesy of Tanglin Gin.

2. ohoro Gin - Country Winner for Classic Gin and Compound Gins

Niseko isn't just famed for their skiing, with plush fine as powder snow. That gorgeous snow comes from some incredibly fresh water and is the lifeblood of some of the healthiest botanicals, which goes into Niseko Distillery's ohoro Gin.

ohoro Gin makes London Dry Gin with local botanicals that includes yachiyanagi (also known as Japanese myrtle) and also local hackberry, to produce an aromatic yet light and clean craft gin.

| Read: Niseko To Be More Than A Skiier’s Paradise – Niseko Distillery

Bonus: The distillery took home more than one prize, taking home Country Winner for both their classic gin and Lavender edition compound gin!

Available on Amazon Japan here.

Images courtesy of Niseko Distillery.

3. Mawsim Gin - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin

Mawsim comes from the exotic Cambodia, which while not normally known for gin, is nonetheless known for some incredibly botanicals including cardamom, cashew, lemongrass and galangal, all of which goes into Mawsim's Spices & Herbs Gin.

As a lovely touch, the bright and spicy gin comes in a gorgeous blue-green kelder bottle that gives plus points for being a great shelf decoration.

The brand has an incredibly interesting backstory as well, started by a Japanese company in the business of recycling and biomass power generation! One of their key initiatives is to turn invasive water hyacinths into bioethanol, which is actually the neutral spirit base for Mawsim Gin!

| Read: Recycling Weeds Just The Tonic

Available in both Cambodia and Japan, the latter of which is available on Yahoo Japan here.

Lead image courtesy of Mawsim.

4. 3 Sips Touch Wood Dry Gin - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin

This next gin comes from Hunan, China, and comes with some pretty nifty old school industrial looking labels. The distillery touts the combination of both Chinese sensibilities and Western distillation techniques to create a harmony of flavors they represent as heaven, earth and man - hence 3 Sips.

The distillery currently has two expressions - Touch Wood Dry Gin and Seaweed Rock.

Image courtesy of 3 Sips.

5. Saigon Baigur - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin

Saigon Baigur comes in a bottle that looks more akin to a dragon's egg than an alcohol bottle, but who's complaining?

The brand sources botanicals from every corner of the vibrant Vietnam, and then distills it in Ho Chi Minh City. It is a celebration of all that Vietnam has to offer, with black cardamom from the northern most of Vietnam, to Buddha's Hand citrus from Hanoi, and cinnamon from the central highlands and lotus flowers from the Mekong Delta, Saigon Baigur is a true expression of Vietnam in gin form.

Find it here in Hong Kong, and here in Europe.

Image courtesy of Saigon Baigur.

6. Ki No Bi Sei - Country Winner for  London Dry Gin 

Ki No Bi prides itself on its distillation technique that is equal parts unique and incredibly tedious - rather than putting all its botanicals together and distilling it, the brand distills each botanical at its peak and then blends each component together to create the Ki No Bi gin.

The Ki No Bi Sei is the high proof bottling of the classic Ki No Bi expression and incorporates six elements each of a key profile - Base, Citrus, Tea, Spice, Fruity & Floral, and Herbal. This includes Japanese botanicals of Yuzu, Gyokuro, Shiso Leaves and Sansho Pepper.

| Read: Inside a Ki No Bi Gin Masterclass: Tasting the Six Distillates That Make Up Japan’s First Craft Gin

Available widely at most spirits store, here in Singapore, here in Hong Kong, here in Australia, and here in Europe.

Image courtesy of Ki No Bi Gin.

7. N.I.P Rare Dry Gin - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin

N.I.P pays homage to Hong Kong's vibrant spirit with tangerine highlights, kumquat elegance and the aromatic fragrances of Shoumei tea. The classic dry gin is refreshing but also sports an unmistakable sweetness of osmanthus tea, alongside more than 20 other botanicals.

Available widely in Hong Kong via The Bottle Shop, One Cellar and HK Liquor Store.

Image courtesy of N.I.P.

8. Soul & Spirits Gin - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin and London Dry Gin

Hailing from Taiwan, Soul & Spirits took home country winner for both the Contemporary Style Gin and London Dry Gin, with their Sinasera 24 Gin and Juniper Galaxy Gin expressions respectively.

The brand uses its expressions to imagine the aromas and scenery from which various Taiwanese ingredients are harvested. Their gins aim to empower fans to have a feel of the local terroir and are constantly reimagined through the multitude of collaborations the brand does with various restaurants and tea gardens.

Image courtesy of Soul & Spirits Gin.

9. Togedama Japanese Craft Gin by Matsuzaki Musashino Distillery - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin

The craft gin distillery uses ultra-soft water from Chichibu in the Saitama Prefecture to create its gin out of a refurbished wooden warehouse from the Taisho era. The distiller was founded upon the master distiller's experience operating a liquor store and having studied many other distilleries and searching for botanicals around Japan, ultimately to create a taste of Kawagoe, where it is based.

The craft distillery has also begun to use whisky barrels from none other than the legendary Chichibu Distillery to create aged expressions of its gin.

You can find it here, directly from the distillery itself.

Image courtesy of 1887 Co.

10. Hapusa Himalayan Dry Gin - Country Winner for Contemporary Style Gin

Hapusa is a gin that tells the story of India and its spices, with the name itself meaning "juniper" in Sanskrit. It is the first Himalayan Dry Gin, sourcing juniper berries from the region. Indian botanicals such as coriander seeds, turmeric, Gondhoraj limes, mangoes and almonds represent the diverse terroir of India, altogether creating an alpine fresh gin that is fresh and herbal.

Available in most spirits shops, such as here on The Whisky Exchange, and here on Master of Malt.

Image courtesy of Hapusa.

11. The Rambler Expedition Strength - Country Winner for Navy Gin

The Rambler comes from the YouYun Distillery located at an altitude of 3,300 metres in Shangri-la - what that means is that the distillery enjoys a natural vacuum for distillation due to the lower air pressure and so retains more of the natural aromas from the botanicals used, some of which are only native to the area such as Kunming roses and local mangoes.

The gin was named after George Forrest, a 20th Century explorer and botanist who travelled to Dali, North Yunnan in the early 1900s and catalogued over 31,000 plants.

Image courtesy of Asian Beer Network.

Let us know which gin you're most excited to try!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot