Aviation American Gin is the world’s top-rated gin — awarded 97 points by Wine Enthusiast and recognised globally as the preferred base for premium Martinis. Elegantly straightforward and crafted to highlight the excellence of its seven botanicals, Aviation is a gin of remarkable balance and smoothness, with juniper deliberately placed in the background to allow the spice, florals, and citrus to take centre stage. A democratic blend where nothing overpowers and nothing masks — a gin created to complement any cocktail, or fly solo.
Appearance
Crystal clear with the luminous purity of a gin distilled with exceptional precision in Portland, Oregon.
Aroma
Spicy and exotic, with aniseed, liquorice, and floral notes leading, and juniper tucked quietly into the background. Orange peel adds a silky, understated citrus lift, with a sarsaparilla sweetness that gives the gin an almost ouzo-like quality — come-hither, clean, and immediately distinctive.
Palate
Slick and smooth, with a democratic balance of seven botanicals that reveals itself progressively across a palate of genuine elegance and depth. The juniper is present but never dominant — a deliberate and defining choice that makes Aviation as approachable neat or over ice as it is in any cocktail. As Gary Walsh puts it: “a very good drink, a lot of it gin.”
Serving Suggestions
Best neat or with a couple of ice cubes to appreciate the full botanical complexity. The definitive base for a premium Martini — and the natural choice for the classic Aviation cocktail (crème de violette, maraschino, lemon juice) for which it was named. Exceptional in any cocktail where balance and smoothness are the priority.
Reviews
97 Points — Wine Enthusiast (World’s Top-Rated Gin)
92 Points — Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, January 2023
“While I love the classic gins, like Plymouth, Beefeater, Jensen’s and Sipsmith, I’ve always been quite partial to Aviation. A smooth ride, as such. Spicy, kind of exotic, with aniseed and liquorice, floral things, with juniper tucked into the back of it. Slick and smooth, orange peel is there, but so silky and quiet, with a sarsaparilla sweetness, so much so that I reckon it’s best neat, or with a couple of ice cubes, there’s an ouzo quality to it, which I like. It’s kind of obvious, and come-hither, yet clean and high quality. There’s no sin in being so overt and friendly. A very good drink, a lot of it gin.”
— Gary Walsh, The Wine Front — 92 Points
