I really need to track down some of the Fritz Maytag stuff.
Love Gin but can’t say I have ever tried to find my favorite. It is one of those things where I just followed my elders. Mainly Beefeater. But when I had my first Bombay Safire Gibson back when I had hair, I loved it. But for some reason I usually by Beefeater or Hendriks. Or Tanqueray. Depends what’s on sale.
Right now I have a bottle of Tanqueray Rangpur that I got as a gift. Nice stuff as I sip it before cooking dinner.
I am not familiar with differing proofs. I have the 110 which I use for cocktails and consider it the gold standard for most gin cocktails.
I like Ransom Old Tom, but it has a personality which doesn’t play well in cocktails like an Aviation or Pegu. OTOH, it is incredible in a Martinez or other cocktails which came about using similar styles.
Of the neo-American artisan gins, Death’s Door is my clear favorite. It is aggressive and assertive, but balanced and provides a feisty note to classic cocktails. Many of the other ones - artisan to big brand like G’Vine - are pretty much bad flavored vodka. I just had Smooth Ambler from WV and it is well-done. Alas, like the rest of the field, it is comparable to Beefeater (least acceptable standard of Gin) at 3x the price.
My new go to is Martin Miller’s (80 proof- $26.99). Keep a bottle in the freezer. Pour neat, twist, and add a few sliced pepperoncini’s instead of onions or olives. No vermouth. Very clean, and I wake up without the ass-kicking fog I get with Tanq 10 now.
Make sure to coat the martini glass with lemon rind. Work that baby! Makes all the difference.