Here’s another style of gin for you to check out: Old Tom Gin! Old Tom Gin is a pretty old style of gin (though unfortunately not made by a man named Tom), which was popular in 18th-century England. But what is it exactly?
1) Old Tom Gin is a very old style of gin
Old Tom Gins like Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin tend to be sweeter than conventional dry gins.
While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when Old Tom gin was first made, it is said to date back to 18th-century England, when Dutch Genever was still hugely popular, and the drier style of English gin had not been invented yet. During this time, distillers would make their ‘gin’ by sweetening the spirit with liquorice or sugar, which brings us to…
2) Old Tom gin is a sweeter style of gin
While there are no strict rules to making Old Tom Gins, it is generally expected that they tend to be sweeter in flavour compared to conventional gins. This is because when the English first started making gins, they didn’t have good enough grains to make spirits from, so they basically made neutral spirits and added botanicals and sugar to make it taste better.
There used to be two types of Old Tom Gins being made – one with malted barley, much like Dutch genever, which lends it a malty sweetness, and another style of Old tom gin that is more focused on the botanicals and sweetened.
3) It’s not named for an old man named Tom
The name ‘Old Tom’ actually comes from the wooden signboards that were shaped like a black cat (known as ‘Old Tom cats’ in England) that some pubs put up on their outside walls in 18th-century England. The Gin Craze caused the British government to restrict the sale and production of gin, so some of these pubs installed a little slot under the cat’s paws that customers could put money in, and in return they would get a shot of gin through a lead tube, also located at the cat’s paws.
Some Old Tom Gins, like Ransom Old Tom Gin, are aged in barrels.
4) Old Tom gin can be aged as well
Old Tom Gins used to be shipped from England to America in barrels, which meant the gin would get influences from the barrels as well. Today, some Old Tom Gins, like Ransom Old Tom Gin and Citadelle Old Tom No Mistake also use an ageing process to give their gins a further layer of complexity and flavour.
5) Old Tom gins are the base to many classic cocktails
Because Old Tom gins are such an old style of gin, its not surprising that many of the old classic gin cocktails used it as a base spirit, including the Tom Collins, the Martinez (a pre-cursor to the Martini), the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Turf Club, and the Tuxedo.
If you like a sweeter style of gin but still like the taste of juniper, then Old Tom Gins are for you – not as dry as London Dry gins, but not as sugary sweet as sloe gin.
Wholly Spirits stocks a number of Old Tom Gins at our retail store and also our online store, and our November Real Deals also feature the Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin.
Here are the Old Tom Gins we currently have in stock, which you can buy from our Online Store:
Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin
Created by a trio of bartender friends, who wanted a gin that stands up in mixed drinks, Porter’s is an exceptional gin that is championed by bartenders all over the world. The founders built their own vacuum still so they could distill at a lower temperature and thus bring forth the lighter, more volatile flavours of the botanicals.
For their Old Tom Gin, Porter’s took their Classic gin and added distillates of passion fruit, guava and white tea. The sweetness of the gin makes for a great long Gin and Tonic. Tropical notes on the nose and the palate, the juniper and earthy spices sit just under. Still bright and fresh!
(BUY HERE)
Ableforth’s Old Tom Gin
Ableforth’s modern recreation of the slightly sweetened Old Tom style of gin popular in 18th and 19th century England, made using its classic Bathtub gin.
This Old Tom is quite sweet on the nose with citrus and juniper lurking in the background. The palate has a candy-like sweetness, with orange and sweet liquorice. A clean finish with plenty of juniper, pine and sweetness. Best enjoyed in a classic Tom Collins.
(BUY HERE)
Citadelle Old Tom No Mistake
What started out as an experiment became so popular that it soon became part of the Citadelle core range. Old Toms are gins that are sweetened – this one takes Citadelle’s cask-aged Solera Reserve expression and adds aged sugar, before further aging the combined product in oak.
The result is a gold-coloured gin boasting a fresh herbal nose with vegetal notes. A full mouthfeel with plenty of sweetness, but balanced but fresh citrus and woody spices. Long finish of spice.
(BUY HERE)
Ransom Old Tom Gin
The first Old Tom to be produced since the days of Prohibition (you know, that movement that tried to stop people from drinking, but utterly failed). Made in collaboration with drinks historian David Wonderich, this Old Tom has won several awards.
Using just 6 botanicals and a base of malted barley for a subtle malty sweetness, this is a gin for the cocktail geeks at home. Think classic cocktails such as the Martinez, Negroni, Tom Collins or even a Gin and Tonic.
Juniper and orange on the offset, then moving into the spice of cardamom and angelica. This is all apparent on the palate as well, but more refined, and with the subtle malty sweetness coming through. A long elegant finish with a touch of smoke and orange peels.
(BUY HERE)
Rock Rose Old Tom Pink Grapefruit
Made by Dunnet Bay Distillers all the way up in North Scotland, this wonderfully floral gin gets its name from the Rhodiola Rosea, or rock rose, which the Vikings used to harvest because it was thought to give them the extra strength to continue on their long arduous journeys.
Other locally foraged botanicals in the gin include rowan berries, sea buckthorn, and verbena. An Old Tom is a sweetened gin that used to be quite common in the 18th-19th century. Rock Rose’s version uses small amounts of Muscovado sugar to encase the citrus flavour and create depth and complexity. Fresh and zesty on the nose. Lovely balance of pink grapefruit, juniper and sweetness. Vanilla coming through in the background. Lasting long finish with a deep grapefruit tang.
(BUY HERE)