While aging gin in barrels has been practiced since the spirit’s early days in the late 18th century as a way to store a surplus of liquid, the distilleries who still practice this oaky alternative to standard dry gin are few and far between — although that number may be increasing more and more each year. The gin-aissance of the past decade and a half has subsequently coincided with further innovation and creativity of the spirit, much to the benefit of our taste buds. Barrel-aged gin possesses a unique profile that varies greatly from expression to expression, each containing juniper notes with a variety of other things going on on the palate.
One such distillery that’s taken on the process of barrel aging is the London No.1, a brand that’s been playing around in the gin sandbox for some time now. Today, it has announced a new limited-edition barrel-aged expression of its flagship small batch gin, which is made the traditional English way, by triple distilling in copper pot stills utilizing a blend of twelve botanicals which were common during the early days of gin-making, including juniper berries, orange peel, lemon peel, bergamot, cinnamon, and licorice. From there, the gin has been aged for three months in American oak casks that have been previously filled with Tío Pepe sherry for ten years.
The result is something quite unique, imparting sweet notes from the sherry wine as well as subtle wood notes from the barrel for a velvety smooth profile. As opposed to the clear hue of most gins, this barrel-aged expression will display itself as yellow in color thanks to its oak maturation. Each year, the London No.1 will release 5,000 bottles to consumers.
You can grab a 700mL bottle of The London No.1 Sherry Cask Aged Gin now through premium spirits retailers for around $145.
