Gin does suck. IMHO gin, rum, whisky, tequila, are all just poor attempts at making vodka, by primitive uneducated cultures.
"Me no can get bad taste out of fire water! Secrets of distillation, filtering, and proper storage heap big problem!"
But the intoxicating effects of these inferior spirits, combined with peer pressure and tradition, convince peoples' brains that they have a pleasant taste, so there is continued consumption of the lesser spirits, even though the technology of vodka-making is now widely available to even the most backwards cultures.