A Journey through Gins lesser known relatives (Part 4 Barrel Aged Gin)

Aged Gin is not something entirely new if you refer back to Part 1 of this series on Genever the Dutch have been barrel aging for many centuries. However it has had new life breathed into it in recent years with an explosion of new brands from around the globe.

So why would you age a Gin? Seems a little counter intuitive to the bright fresh flavours that Gin makers are normally trying to achieve? You may be right in that this style of Gin is not necessarily going to be consumed in a traditional G&T or Tom Collins and so it may not appeal to some Gin drinkers.

However aged Gin is a very exciting new development for Gin that will help consumers to realise that Gin has more to offer than simply being something you smother with tonic water, Gin should be seen as a spirit that is worth sipping on its own. Craft gins are often extremely unique and flavoursome with incredible diversity available but often limited to cocktails and the G&T through tradition and stigma.

A Journey through Gins lesser known relatives (Part 3: Old Tom)

Often talked about as the missing link between Dutch Genever and modern London Dry Gin, Old Tom is a sweetened style of Gin that was popular in the 19^th century, it is also a style that almost disappeared entirely until its recent comeback.

History

I thought I would start with the history first because this time because as you will see the modern day versions are likely somewhat different from their predecessors.

Old Tom Gin became popular in the early 19^th century there is evidence that in its early days it was around 20% and more of a liquer. By the end of the 19^th century it was closer to the 40% strength we know today.

There are a few different possible stories as to where the name Old Tom came from and no real evidence linking any of them to the name. The most common and interesting is that of Captain Dudley Bradstreet in the 1730s. So this is before the name Old Tom was popularised. The legend goes that to get around the clampdown on Gin sales at the time the enterprising captain nailed a black cat sign to the side of its house with a led pipe concealed in one of its paws. Customers would simply push a coin in the cats mouth and the captain would pour Gin down the pipe into the customers cup/mouth.

A Journey through Gins lesser known relatives (Part 2: Sloe Gin)

Sloe Gin is another classic British creation that is not widely consumed because most countries lack the vital ingredient that gives this Gin variety its characteristic flavour. This ingredient is of-course the Sloe Berry.

Sloe Berries grow on the Blackthorn plant and are not commonly mass cultivated but are often found in local hedgerows throughout the British country side. Sloes harbour an extremely bitter/astringent and unpleasant flavour. However the crafty Brits found a great use for them in Sloe Gin.

How is it made

Because the berries mostly grow wild there are limited numbers of commercially available Sloe Gins and these tend to be seasonal products. Sloe Gin is more of a traditional homemade beverage.

A Journey through Gins lesser known relatives (Part 1: Genever)

So we have talked about Gin and what Craft Gin represents in my earlier posts, one area we haven’t covered is the fringe Gin categories, you may have heard of Genever, Sloe Gin or Old Tom but perhaps had no idea of what that meant. Stay tuned over the next few days to find out what these are, how they are produced and a little bit of History about these unique relatives of traditional distilled Gin.

I thought it only appropriate to start at the beginning with Genever or Jenever as this style of Gin is the

forefather of Gin, without Genver Gin as we know it today would not exist.

Gevener /Jenever

How is it made