The barrel aging typically associated with spirits like whiskey, rum and tequila is now increasingly applied to gin, an article in the New York Times points out.
For instance, St. George Spirits in the San Francisco area in September, launched its Dry Rye Reposado Gin, while New York Distilling Company in Brooklyn, introduced Chief Gowanus New-Netherland Gin. And in late October, Beefeater began exporting its Burrough’s Reserve to the U.S.
Aged gin may seem a new thing, but it isn’t; it’s a reworked take on an old practice. In the early 19th century, before spirits were commonly bottled, gin travelled from the distillery to the tavern via barrel.
It really wasn’t aged, though, because as cocktail historian David Wondrich points out, the gin didn’t stay in the barrel very long. Wondrich collaborated with New York Distilling on its Chief Gowanus gin, which has hops thrown into the mix.
Though barrels and processes differ among the brands, most aged gin have great body and a less juniper-forward flavor than regular gin. As such, many distillers believe it’s best drunk neat, like a good Cognac. The founder/master distiller of Smooth Ambler Barrel Aged Gin, which launched a year ago, believes his gin works well in whiskey cocktails such as the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.
Read the full article here.