The humble gin & tonic is often a first stepping stone into the world of gin exploration. A world that expands rapidly with thousands of different gins to try.
It’s not realistic to try every gin on the planet (for most normal people, anyway) so we rely on the curated guidance of bar staff and gin experts around the world.
That’s why Australians can now subscribe to different regular ‘gin a month’ delivery services that allow us to discover more varieties of the juniper berry liquor.
Subscriptions come in two main forms: Tasting and Full-Sized. In the article, I’ll point you towards the best services of both types.
How do I know what to recommend? Simply because I’ve bought and tried every service myself.
Our top Gin Discovery Boxes of 2023
- Type: Tasting (3 x 60ml)
- Price: $54 - $64
- Delivers To: Australia-Wide
- TopFeature: Premium curated journey.
- Type: Full-Sized (700ml)
- Price: $99
- Delivers To: Australia-Wide
- TopFeature: Includes tonic, garnishes and snacks.
- Type: Tasting (3 x 50ml)
- Price: $54 - $59
- Delivers To: Australia-Wide
- TopFeature: Themed, high-variety tasting.
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Best Overall – Liquor Loot
Liquor Loot are my favourite gin subscription simply because they offer a super-premium experience without a crazy price tag.
Each box contains 3 x 60ml bottles of gin, packaged beautifully, with detailed tasting notes and serving recommendations.
Liquor Loot is the perfect gift for Gin lovers.
- Service Type: Tasting (3 x 60ml)
- Monthly Price Range: $54 – $64
- Tonic: +$10
- Delivery Areas: All Across Australia
- Shop Discount w/ Subscription: 5%
Learn More: Read our review of the Gin Subscription from Liquor Loot.
Why I Recommend Liquor Loot for Gin Discovery
Liquor Loot provide a curated journey through different styles of gin, which means they’re perfect for exploring the different flavour profiles of gin.
Each month has a slightly different focus, with everyone going through the same set of ‘months’. That is, each subscription starts with the same ‘month 1’.
Rather than being focussed on just Australian gins, Liquor Loot pull from interesting distilleries across the world. I love that they still have at least 1 Australian gin in each pack, so you’re still getting to try local distilleries.
The 30ml measures allow for two large gin & tonics, or perhaps 3 cocktails, to be made from each gin. Plenty to taste each gin in a couple of different ways.
I must emphasise the Liquor Loot experience though, which is exceptional. Each box is beautifully packaged with the gin itself in solid glass bottles that are amazing to re-use. The tasting notes are very detailed and most gins also come with a tasting video available on the Liquor Loot website.
All the above makes Liquor Loot the perfect gin gift subscription for anyone who enjoys the juniper spirit and wants to learn a bit more about the different varietals available.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Beautifully packaged delivery boxes.
- 60ml measures of interesting gins.
- Very detailed tasting notes (written and video) with serving recommendations.
Cons
- You won’t find too many limited-time or quantity gins.
- Experienced gin tasters may find the experience a little basic.
Discover Gin LootGet $10 off all new subscriptions!
Best Full-Bottle – Garden Street Gin
If you’d prefer to get more gin for your dollars, you can’t go wrong with a Garden Street Gin subscription. A full 700ml bottle arrives in each monthly box.
You also receive a beautiful booklet explaining about that month’s gin, along with carefully selected bottles of tonic and botanicals.
Did I mention you get a full bottle of gin? What a treat.
- Service Type: Full-Sized (700ml)
- Monthly Price Range: $99
- Tonic: Included
- Delivery Areas: All Across Australia
- Shop Discount w/ Subscription: None
Learn More: Read Our Garden Street Review.
Why I Recommend Garden Street for Gin Lovers
The stand-out thing I love about Garden Street Gin is how beautiful each box is packaged up. They’ve opted for a more rustic style that feels like you’re receiving a gift hamper every month.
Each box contains more than 5 different goodies, including garnishes, tonics, and even snacks. That’s not even including the main event, a full 700ml bottle of gin.
Garden Street Gin are fantastic at partnering with smaller Australian gin distilleries. Each delivery then includes a detailed booklet explaining how the gin was made and providing multiple serving / pairing recommendations.
At under $100, I think this represents incredible value. If you don’t get through a full bottle of gin each month, you can even opt for 2-month deliveries instead.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Full-sized 700ml bottle of gin in every box.
- Beautifully packaged with free delivery.
- Includes tonic, garnish and snack pairings. Incredible value.
Cons
- Explore a maximum of 12 gins every year.
- You’ll need to buy more tonic to go with the full bottle.
- You’re stuck with a bottle of gin if you don’t like that month’s bottle.
Explore Garden Street TodayExplore new gins every month, as a treat or a perfect gift!
Best Curated Boxes – Box Bar
Box Bar was founded as the online arm of ‘The Fox Hole’, a fantastic bar in the Sydney CBD. When looking for people with expertise in gin (and whisky), there aren’t many better.
Unique and interesting gins are the core selling point, with a bottle of tonic and a garnish paired with each gin.
- Service Type: Tasting
- Monthly Price Range: $54 – $59
- Tonic: Included
- Delivery Areas: All Across Australia
- Shop Discount w/ Subscription: 5%
Learn More: Read Our Box Bar Review.
Why I Recommend Box Bar for Gin Sampling
Based on my experience with Box Bar, it was clear that each box was curated carefully by people with a lot of understanding about Australian gins.
The inclusion of tonic and garnishes within the subscription price means there’s good value in a Box Bar subscription, making them ~$10 cheaper per month than the Liquor Loot equivalent.
However, this is a subscription lacking in car and attention around the experience. The packaging is quite boring, and the tasting notes are very limited. Box Bar do provide interviews with distilleries but these are only available for half of the gins included.
The other downside is that these are 50ml bottles so they are 10ml smaller than the Liquor Loot equivalent. That might not sound like much of a difference, but you’d struggle to stretch gins from Box Bar into 3 drinks.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great value for the products you’re receiving.
- Smartly curated by experienced gin experts.
- Each gin has a tonic and garnish pairing.
Cons
- Limited tasting notes and no serving suggestions.
- 50ml bottles which is smaller than other subscriptions.
- Packaging doesn’t feel very premium.
Best Unique Gins – Gin Society
Gin Society are the experts in sourcing unique, small-batch gins from artisanal producers in Australia. Perfect for anyone who’s looking for gins that are a little bit different.
Each box also comes with the ‘Gin Journal’ with a variety of articles about gin, specifically curated for that month’s featured bottle.
- Service Type: Full-Sized (700ml)
- Monthly Price Range: $95
- Tonic: No
- Delivery Areas: All Across Australia
- Shop Discount w/ Subscription: None
Learn More: Visit Gin Society.
Why I Recommend Gin Society for Gin Aficionados
One important unique aspect of Gin Society is that they only supply boxes every 2 months. Their focus on small-batch artisanal gins mean they set out to find just 6 interesting gins every year.
That means you know each box is going to be special.
Each box is accompanied by their ‘Gin Journal’ magazine which includes detailed tasting notes and cocktail recipes, as well as interviews with people connected to that month’s featured gin.
Whilst tonic or garnishes aren’t guaranteed in each box, you will find a surprise ‘gift’. This could be anything from a garnish to a muddler or jigger.
You can get a sense of the types of gins selected previously by checking out the Gin Society shop, where you can also read the associated Gin Journal. It’s a fascinating list that includes gin from Sweden, France, Greece, Australia, and more.
One incredible example was members getting access to bottles of Australian Green Ant gin, which used real green ants as part of the botanicals during distilling.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Access unique and interesting global gins.
- A very interesting magazine is included with each bottle.
- Beautifully packaged with free delivery across Australia.
Cons
- Only 6 boxes are shipped out each year (every 2 months).
- Expensive for just the bottle of gin, so value depends on the “secret” gifts.
Best Eco-Friendly Service – Ginjellic
Ginjellic are 100% dedicated to sharing gins from local Australian gin producers, paired with an Australian tonic / soda company and local food producers.
With a clear focus on the sustainability of their business, this is a way to receive a new bottle of gin every month totally guilt-free.
- Service Type: Full-Sized (700ml)
- Monthly Price Range: $119
- Tonic: Included
- Delivery Areas: All Across Australia
- Shop Discount w/ Subscription: None
Learn More: Visit Ginjellic.
Why I Recommend Ginjellic for Local Gins
The name Ginjellic is a brilliant play on the name of the town founders Chris and Jacinda grew up in, Jingellic. Right on the border between New South Wales and Victoria, this is an Australian business focussed on exploring Australian gins.
You’ll get access to small boutique distilleries like Black Cockatoo, Little Junipers, and Otways that normally only sell their gins locally. It’s a smart way to expand the reach of small Australian producers.
Each box contains more than just a 700ml bottle of gin though. Like Garden Street Gin, they provide 2 small bottles of tonic as well as a garnish and a couple of snacks. All curated to pair well with that month’s gin selection.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Full-sized gin from local Australian distilleries.
- Includes curated snacks and tonics from local producers.
- Socially conscious company with recyclable packaging.
Cons
- More expensive than similar alternatives.
Best Single-Distillery Service – Juniper Society
The ‘Juniper Society’ is the monthly gin club of creative distillery Old Young’s. Every single gin you receive is a one-off, exclusive release made in their Perth distillery, making this a really special subscription box.
- Service Type: Full-Sized (500ml)
- Monthly Price Range: $59
- Tonic: Not Included
- Delivery Areas: All Across Australia
- Shop Discount w/ Subscription: None
Learn More: Visit Juniper Society.
Why I Recommend Juniper Society for Unique Gin Experiences
Old Young’s know what they’re doing when it comes to Gin. They were even voted Australia’s ‘Craft Producer of the Year‘ in 2023, despite heavy competition from amazing gin distilleries in Australia.
What you’re getting from the Juniper Society is truly exclusive experiences from small-batch distilling. Every bottle in your subscription is only available to subscribers. There’s literally no other way to get your hands on these gins.
You’re getting whatever the master distillers decide they want to make each month. That’s super exciting.
At just $59 per bottle it’s surprisingly reasonably priced as well. Each pack also includes some information on the gin and some recommended cocktails to serve up.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Truly exclusive gins from Australia’s craft producer of the year 2023.
- Very reasonable pricing for 500ml bottles.
- A unique offering, there really is nothing quite like the Juniper Society.
Cons
- Not all experiments are ‘good’ experiments.
- Limited to gins from just one distillery.
Guide to Finding the Best Gin Subscription Services
The right gin subscription service depends heavily on your own circumstances and preferences. We’ve recommended a variety of services based on our experiences, but you should apply the following criteria before handing over your hard-earned cash:
Do you want local or international gins?
Some services I recommend focus on exploring the variety within Australian gin circles. Whilst Australia has seen a rise in the amount of gin distilleries over recent years, we still can’t compete against the global market for sheer variety of gins.
So, if variety is your thing then you might look for a service that is location-agnostic when selecting gins for their boxes.
Do you want to try lots of gins in small quantities, or fewer gins but with more to drink?
With two different types of gin subscription box around, you can narrow down your options by around half just by knowing if you want a tasting or full-sized subscription.
You’ll get more gin for your money with a full-sized subscription but you’ll miss out on the wider variety of options. They’ll only send you 12 different gins each year, compared to 36 different gins with a tasting box.
Tasting boxes will usually send enough tonic to go with their gin, whereas a full-sized box will only have 2-4 drinks of tonic. You’ll have to supplement that with your favourite gin mixers.
Are you looking for a gift subscription?
Some of the subscriptions we recommend are local startups created from bars or distilleries, which means they aren’t multi-national operations with hundreds of employees working to perfect the experience.
That means they can be a little bit rough around the edges and lack some quality with the packaging and information materials provided.
That’s why our favourite gin subscription to gift is Liquor Loot as their tasting boxes are presented incredibly beautifully.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a gin subscription?
A gin subscription is a regular, often monthly, delivery of a carefully selected bottle of gin, right to your door. These can either be 3-5 small tasting bottles, or one full-sized bottle between 500ml to 700ml.
How much is Gin Club membership?
Gin clubs vary in their costs, depending on whether they are a tasting subscription or a full-sized bottle subscription. The average cost of each is:
Tasting Box – $50 – $60
Full-Sized Box – $100 – $120
How popular is gin in Australia?
The Australian gin market is growing fast, with $226m of gin sold in 2023. These sales are expected to grow over 7% a year over the next 4 years. The average Australian is drinking 0.09 litres of gin a year (Statista).
There are over 350 independent gin distilleries in Australia (Ginventory)
What’s the Best Gin Subscription Service?
Although the best service for you depends on the type of gin subscription you want, our most highly rated service that we recommend most highly is Liquor Loot.
We love the unique packaging design, quality of tasting bottles and the educational materials about each gin you’re drinking. Liquor Loot makes the perfect gift, or a fantastic treat for anyone who wants to explore new gins.
