Portobello Road Gin: Old Tom

Portobello Road Gin: Old Tom

They say:

Our Old Tom Gin pays homage to what we think gin would’ve been before its transformation took place. We take a pot-distilled grain spirit and redistill it with juniper, coriander seed and liquorice root, before adding a little sugar and then ageing in a very old sherry barrel. It perfectly balances the punch of the juniper with the lingering sweetness of the barrel ageing process. 70cl. 47.4% ABV.

We say:

That. And this: As you’d expect with Jake and his team, this is faithful to a historic style. There are a few Old Toms out there that take the sugar theme and over cook it, but with this example, there’s still plenty of botanical goodness to appreciate and balance. The barrel aging imbues it with an extra layer of complexity and what’s extraordinary about this gin is that if you chill it, then stir it on ice for a short spell, and strain into a cocktail glass, you don’t need to add anything to it and yet it’ll deliver a drink as complex as a straight up cocktail.