Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat Gin

I'm surprised I haven't commented on this before. This pour comes from the last bit of a bottle opened a couple of months ago. It's my second bottle. Let's get to the point: I enjoy it immensely. This review is based on a sample tasted neat from a glencairn. The liquid is a pale rusty orange, and swirling it reveals significant viscosity and several small trails returning to the bowl. This is a nicely thick pour even at room temperature, offering a silky texture. The aroma hints at lavender, a subtle sweet pine reminiscent of a fresh Christmas tree, newly cut wood, a touch of overripe cantaloupe, all softened by a slight presence of juniper. The nose is sweet and intricate, lacking any off-putting alcohol or chemical notes. It's an inviting and approachable scent. On the palate, it's woody, sweet, floral, with notes of cardamom, wildflower honey, a hint of black pepper, and some juniper. It's a complex drink. Beyond sipping neat or on the rocks, I'm thoroughly impressed by this gin in cocktails. A Bees Knees made with a ginger-honey syrup and fresh lemon juice is a reason to buy the bottle on its own. It's an almost perfect cocktail. Consider this for any cocktail calling for Old Tom or Genever. It's not well-suited for tonic, in my view. It performs better as a ginger highball. It's quite delightful in a Martinez if you prefer something a bit richer and sweeter. Highly original, very flavorful, and just a bit pricey, this stands out from the usual.

Batch 17, produced in 2017. Sampled neat. Floral and pine aromas on the nose, with juniper and honey, and a hint of the soft beeswax used to seal the cork and bottle neck. Full-bodied and rich, with sweet honey enveloping the juniper, and oak providing a rounding and softening effect. Some ethanol is present in the mouthful. Dry oak, sweet beeswax, and a touch of dry baking spice linger in a long, rounded finish. An unusual gin, specifically an unusual Old Tom Gin, but with familiar barrel-aged flavors lightly touched with honey. Consider this if you are not a fan of barrel-aged gins, as I am. The honey sweetness is what makes this stand out—is it too sweet? perhaps, but it's an interesting experiment. This is a beautiful gin for sipping (which I rarely do), delicious neat. Adding ice mellows it, but balances the sweetness and allows more juniper and oak to come through. I will need to experiment with cocktails, given its bold character, but I imagine an Old Tom Collins or Bees Knees (perhaps too sweet? adjust honey accordingly) would be elegant and showcase the gin's profile. More details to follow. I recently prepared a White Negroni using equal parts of this gin, Luxardo Bitter, and Maurin dry vermouth over a large ice cube. The result was soft and rounded; I might increase the proportion of white bitter next time, but... it was elegant, easy to drink, and a great introductory Negroni for those sensitive to bitterness. Revisiting this again tonight, 4/23/21. This is a gin to be savored neat or with an ice cube; there's no need to mix it. I'm upgrading this from 4.75 to a 5 for its distinctiveness.

This aromatic gin from Vermont presents juniper berry and botanical notes upon opening. Aged for six months in new charred American White Oak, it develops flavors of clementines, banana, caramel, and sawdust. It offers a unique whiskey-like character with a smooth finish. (2016 Barrel / Batch 3) March 2017 / July 2020

This tastes like a ready-made cocktail! The aroma boasts lovely floral notes complemented by a prominent honey presence. The palate features well-integrated oak that isn't overly sweet or aged. Exhaling reveals the botanicals, and the finish is flawless. Highly recommended served over a large ice cube.

This is, without question, my preferred barrel-aged gin. It possesses a pleasant, honeyed creaminess in its flavor profile. Excellent in an Old Fashioned or a Fitzgerald (consider adding Angostura and grapefruit bitters, along with Earl Grey simple syrup) - a remarkable barrel-aged gin from Vermont.

This is a distinctive gin from Vermont, featuring juniper and honey as its primary characteristics. It's also aged, giving it a slightly smoky profile. It leans a bit too sweet for traditional gin cocktails. While not ideal for a G&T or an Old Tom classic Tom Collins, it's perfect for a Bee's Knees.