The House of Botanicals Classic Old Tom Gin 70cl
A delicious and highly awarded Old Tom gin from Aberdeen in Scotland
Description
The House of Botanicals Classic Old Tom Gin
The House of Botanicals was founded in 2009 in the centre of Aberdeen in North East Scotland. It's a certified B Corp™ and is owned and operated by a small husband and wife team of Adam & Steffie Elan-Elmegirab.
They use a combination of traditional and modern production techniques, as well as British grain spirit as the alcoholic base of their drinks. They then source botanicals from across the globe, and produce entirely with natural ingredients - refraining from using artificial flavours, preservatives or colours.
Fun Fact: The coat of Arms on the bottles is a homage to both the Aberdeen and London City Coats of Arms. The Black panther adds a reference to the hip-hop music listened to by the team on most days - as well as the original Old Tom branding which would commonly feature a Black Cat.
Their Old Tom gin was released in April 2018, and was inspired by the botanical rich and lightly sweetened Old Tom Gins of the past. The base gin for this Old Tom is actually produced in London, which is a subtle 'nod' to the history of Old Tom gins. This gin is made with juniper berries, angelica root, orris root, coriander seed, cassia bark, almond, orange peel and lemon peel. This produces a gin which is rich in piney juniper, citrus and elegant spices.
The gin is then brought to the team in Aberdeen. Here they transform the dry gin into an award-winning Old Tom. They macerate Moroccan Saffron and Chamomile Flowers in the gin, as well as adding the sweetness of an Old Tom gin with Muscovado Sugar. Once this process is completed, the final Old Tom gin is ready.
The result is a delicious golden yellow gin. The nose has floral hints with spice and juniper dominating. On the palate the spice and juniper continue, and are joined by warming pine notes as well as hints of coriander. These lead into sweet citrus, and chamomile. The finish is long and fragrant, with both the sweetness and spice lingering to the end.
It is worth noting that this gin was awarded the highest score (98/100) in history for an Old Tom gin by the IWSC in 2022.
More from The House of Botanicals
Perfect Serve
This is a deliciously versatile Old Tom, which works well with a simple mixer (such as tonic or ginger ale), but also in cocktails. Try in a Negroni, Gin Fizz or a Martinez.
Our favourite is definitely the Martinez Cocktail. In a mixing glass filled with ice add 60ml of Vermouth, 30ml of the Old Tom Gin, 2 dashes of Maraschino Liqueur, and 3 dashes of Bokers Bitters. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a wedge of fresh lemon.
