“Aged gin?” I hear you ask, “You mean, in a barrel?!”
In many ways, it was only a matter of time, really. The gin boom seems to have given way to distillers wanting to create whiskies, which then need ageing, so they bash out a line of gins in the interim. You’d think all it would then take is for someone to barrel one of those and see what turned up…well, someone did.
Although it became a bit more scientific than that. For a start, it needed someone who knew about gin, someone who knew its flavour profiles, its nuances, subtleties, and how it might behave if you put it down. That someone was Angus Lugsdin, co-founder and director of Salcombe Gin. And you’d probably want someone like Angus trying this out since Salcombe has consistently been one of those at the apogee of the craft gin boom that seems to show no signs of slowing. He knows his juniper, as it were.
But, to ‘age’ gin, it turns out you can’t just take your favourite tipple, stick it in a barrel and call it old – although he did try that – because the wood becomes its own botanical and then interferes with all the others to create something of a patchwork quilt on the palate. Rather, taking that principle – that it’s an additional botanical – Angus realised it needed a different approach; cask first, liquid second.
Step in Fortnum & Mason. As one of the first retailers to stock Salcombe’s ‘Start Point’ gin back in 2017, coupled with its extensive knowledge of wines and spirits – not to mention a touch of derring-do with its extraordinary food and drink experiences – Fortnum’s seemed a natural fit to partner with. “When Angus pitched the idea of creating an exclusive spirit,” says the retailer’s buyer, Oscar Dodd, “that would showcase their approach to a cask-matured gin – I was keen to explore further…” So, the two embarked on the idea together.
That first step to find the right cask began in Portugal. After a somewhat empirical approach to start, considering complimentary flavour profiles, the cask manifested itself in the shape of an American oak barrel previously maturing five year-old Moscatel do Douro from one of Portugal’s most notable wine producers, Niepoort.
And, then, the gin. Existing products, tried and tested, wouldn’t work, so the gin’s recipe and botanical profile were then carefully developed to work in harmony with the wood’s accents, stripping it down, teasing out its qualities and selecting botanicals that can be accentuated by the cask – and there it was. Cask readied, gin distilled.
The gin was then aged in the barrel for over four years at Salcombe Gin’s waterside distillery. “It still retains the freshness the day it was first distilled,” says Angus, sipping it with a nod of satisfaction, “but with added depth; layers of complexity now; sweet apricots, almonds and a rich nuttiness reminiscent of Christmas fruit and nut cake, all imparted by the cask.
“There is a certain magic that happens when you allow a liquid to slowly mature in the barrel, made even more exciting by the virtue of the fact that it has been tailored to the cask, to tease out every last aroma and flavour whilst treating the cask with the utmost respect.”
The result is a gin which readily blurs boundaries across spirit categories. Best enjoyed on its own over ice with a twist of flamed orange peel to garnish, it works equally well in place of a whisky in an Old Fashioned, or in normally brandy-based cocktails such as an Alexander. And, of course, goes down a treat with tonic, giving an added dimension to a G&T. It’s gin, sure, but nipping at the heels of its more mature siblings.
So, yes, ‘cask-aged’ is on the label. What’s more, it’s given the year, too. 2024. Looking at the batch number (#1) on the bottle, the question remains whether to put it down, or crack it open. That, reader, shall be up to you.
Salcombe Gin x Fortnum & Mason Cask Aged Gin 2024 release is available from all Fortnum & Mason stores, and online at fortnumandmason.com or salcombegin.com, priced £69.50, 50cl bottle. ABV: 46%.
For more information about Salcombe Gin, visit www.salcombegin.com, follow Salcombe Gin on Instagram and Facebook. For further information about Fortnum & Mason visit fortnumandmason.com.
