Review: Plymouth Honey Gin

This is one I sure didn’t see coming. Plymouth‘s new gin expression is infused with, well, you already figured it out — honey. Originally a limited release in the UK in 2023, it’s dropping in the U.S. for summer 2026, complete with a Bee’s Knees cocktail kit from Cocktail Courier that includes lemon and honey syrup along with a bottle of the new spirit. (The kit is available through the end of June.)

The Plymouth Honey recipe is simple: Take Plymouth Gin and add “natural honey flavor,” which doesn’t sound quite like “honey” but I suppose we’ll see when we get to a tasting.

Plymouth Honey Gin Review

There’s a light yellow tint to the gin that indicates something different is happening, and sticking your nose in the glass immediately reveals it: The honey aroma is thick and unmistakable, and it comes almost to the exclusion of anything else. You’ll need to let the gin sit in glass for a long while before much of anything else really becomes visible. Green pine needles and lemon peel are more hinted at than obvious, though you eventually land on a ruddy underbelly that evokes earthy angelica — and which effectively complements the honey.

Again, the palate showcases an almost pure honey character, largely to the exclusion of anything else. The honey flavor is insistent and on the earthy side, as suggested by the nose, with very gentle florals backing it up. Again, lemon makes a secondary appearance, as does some juniper, clearer here than on the nose, but only slightly. The finish is clean, though just a little medicinal. Ultimately, the only thing that much resembles Plymouth’s straight gins is the shape of the bottle.

Of course, this isn’t a gin for straight sipping — what is? — and I was able to try it in the Cocktail Courier Bee’s Knees kit. Frankly, I found it to be a little too much honey in the end, though that might have more to do with the intense honey syrup included in the kit. If you do snap one up, trying playing a bit with the proportions to temper the honey from becoming overwhelming.

82.4 proof.

B+ / $37

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