Young Tom – A gin for Beer-Lovers
Not only is June the month where we celebrate gin, here in the UK it's also host to National Beer Day on 15th June. Why are we interested in National Beer Day? Well, ordinarily, a distillery might not be that fussed- but in fact one of our gins owes everything to beer, so today on the blog, and in anticipation of National Beer Day, we're celebrating Young Tom - rich, smooth and full of malty sweetness from a distilled IPA.
Don't you mean OLD Tom?
Old Tom is a gin style that's been around for a few hundred years. The origins are lost in the mists of time, with many stories surrounding the creation of a type of gin that was drier than the original Dutch Genever, but sweeter than the London Dry Gin style that was being produced in England in the 18th Century. The reality of who did what and when is somewhere hidden within the need for unscrupulous distillers to mask the harsh taste of crudely distilled alcohol with something - and liquorice or sugar were the 'somethings' that became additives of choice.
Whether the first Old Tom was to be found in a 'Puss & Mew' shop (a very popular 'one stop gin shop' which dispatched shots of gin directly into the mouths of customers through a pipe in the wall!!), earned the name following the sad fate of a tom cat in a vat of alcohol, or, more boring, but more likely, arose from a demonstration of respect by an apprentice distiller named Tom to his mentor, also named Tom, we'll never really know. What we do know is that our Young Tom follows in the steps of this tradition - but with an Eccentric twist.
What's so special about Young Tom gin?
Our Young Tom gin sits within the Old Tom category, yet we've travelled a different path to bring you the sweetness and liquorice notes that will be familar to Old Tom fans. True to our maverick 'In the Welsh Wind' approach, and in keeping with the Eccentric Spirits range where Young Tom sits, we have sourced sweetness from an IPA beer, and the faintest hints of liquorice from Star Anise.
We source our IPA from our friends down the road in North Pembrokeshire at Bluestone Brewing Co, and create a distillate which lends a malty sweetness to our gin. Star Anise brings warm notes of liquorice which bolster the smooth quality of the drink (but don't overpower). We love it with a plain tonic and a slice of lemon. If Star Anise is something you love, you can always drop a piece in to the drink with your lemon to enhance the taste. At 46%, Young Tom is also rich enough to enjoy as a sipping gin, but it works well in a cocktail too - a good all rounder, you might say.
Enjoy Young Tom for National Beer Day
As you can see then, Young Tom is the perfect spirit to enjoy for National Beer Day - and makes a great crossover spirit to take you through the weekend, navigating from World Gin Day on Saturday 14th June to Father's Day and National Beer Day on Sunday 15th June.
If you fancy a bottle, it's available in our distillery shop and online!
Iechyd da!
