Hendrick’s Alternatives: The 5 Best Cucumber Flavoured Gins

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Hendrick’s Alternatives: The 5 Best Cucumber Flavoured Gins

Hendrick’s Gin is one of the most popular flavoured gins on the market. It gets its distinctive taste from the infusion of cucumber and rose to the gin after distillation.

But let’s be honest… Hendrick’s Gin is a bit middle-of-the-road. It’s nice, but you don’t hear anyone saying “wow” after drinking it. And at £28 it’s neither great value nor particularly exciting.

In this post, I’ll be sharing my top 5 Hendrick’s alternatives…

The Best Cucumber Gins

1. Pipehouse Earl Grey & Cucumber Gin

I started Pipehouse Gin with my wife Katie and our friends Sam & Emma Priestley almost 18 months ago. Our aim was to experiment with botanical pairings to create a range of gins that are unusual yet delicious!

Our first creation was Earl Grey & Cucumber and it’s proved to be really popular in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas.

Here’s what online retailer Master of Malt had to say about Pipehouse Gin…

Pipehouse Earl Grey & Cucumber Gin is an elegant, flavoursome gin that combines the two eponymous botanicals – not a common pairing, but a delicious one nevertheless – alongside some more traditional botanicals.

Drying juniper and tea leaves arrive first, before a refreshing hint of sweet cucumber brings balance to the palate.

Master of Malt

Unlike Hendrick’s, Pipehouse is a traditional London Dry Gin – meaning all of the ingredients go directly into the still, including a giant pot of Earl Grey tea! And it’s a ‘craft gin’ through-and-through. Bottles are produced in batches of just 250.

If you like Hendrick’s Gin but you’re looking for something a bit more interesting, buy a bottle of Pipehouse Earl Grey & Cucumber Gin. You won’t be disappointed! A great alternative to Hendrick’s.

2. Whitley Neill Aloe & Cucumber Gin

While we’re on the topic of interesting botanical combinations, how about Whitley Neill’s Aloe & Cucumber Gin?

Whitley Neill has a wide range of flavoured gins – Rhubarb and Ginger being their most well-known. Their latest combination is “inspired by Africa” and has strong vegetal notes.

If you love Whitley Neill’s sweet gins, this one probably isn’t for you. But it’s certainly another interesting cucumber gin and a decent Hendrick’s alternative!

3. Martin Miller’s Gin

I remember the very first time I tried Martin Miller’s Gin at a bar in Tunbridge Wells. Back then I knew zero about gin and chose it because one of my school mates is called Martin Millar!

But I was very pleasantly surprised. Martin Miller’s is, of course, one of the original cucumber gins.

Martin Miller’s gin is distilled in pot stills and shipped to Iceland, where it is mixed with Icelandic spring water. It’s super smooth and much nicer (and cheaper) than Hendrick’s.

4. English Drinks Company Cucumber Gin

The English Drinks Company certainly love cucumbers! The brand behind ‘Qcumber’ have now entered the gin market with their own Cucumber Gin.

The cucumber flavour is front and centre, but it works well with the juniper, mint, and other botanicals.

Overall, it’s a very refreshing gin and something a little bit different – even if the bottle is a tad unoriginal.

5. Harrison Gin (Aldi)

At just £15.99, Harrison Gin is your cheapest option by far! In true Aldi-style, Harrison Gin is as identical to Hendrick’s Gin as legally possible.

In fact… It was originally called Harrison’s Gin and had a label that was even more similar to Hendrick’s.I can only assume Aldi found themselves in hot water and were forced to make some changes!

According to Aldi…

Harrison Gin is crisp and smooth with zesty botanicals, floral aromas well balanced with juniper and refreshing cucumber.

Aldi

I’m yet to try it – it’s only been on the shelves for a few months – but at £15.99 it’s got to be worth a try as a Hendrick’s alternative gin!

If you like gin, you should check out my pink gin blog post… The 5 Best Pink Gins for Summer 2019.