Old Kempton Barrel Aged Gin 50ml

Old Kempton Barrel Aged Gin 50ml is a Tasmanian London Dry gin matured in ex-red-wine casks.

Rob Tyson treats the cask as one more botanical, held to the same rules of balance and integration as anything else in the bill, which is why this reads as a gin with wood on it and not a wood-driven spirit. Twelve botanicals go in, among them juniper, citrus, coriander, long pepper and fresh ginger, suspended in a muslin cloth in a cane sugar base spirit inside the still for a day, followed by a one-day distillation. Maturation runs six to twelve weeks, depending on the cask's age, in Sylvain wood that previously held Château Angélus and is shaved and toasted before filling.

Juniper and citrus still lead, with vanilla, soft spice and a faint tannic grip from the wood. Try it at room temperature in a Negroni or an Old Fashioned, where the barrel character earns its keep. With tonic it wants a heavier garnish: orange peel over lime.