Botrytis Old Tom Gin

Botrytis Old TomOld TomAn 18th-century English style, lightly sweetened or rounder, halfway between genever and London Dry. It is back in favour for classic cocktails.GlossarySee Old Tom gins Gin combines distillates of green cardamom, jasmine flowers and fresh citrus, then takes its sweetness from Sauternes. Bordeaux Distilling Co. describes it as a vintage, compound-style gin bottled at 42% ABV. The sugars naturally present in the wine are concentrated by fractional freezing before they are used to sweeten the gin. The name refers to botrytis, the fungus associated with the late-harvest grapes used for Sauternes.

Citrus · Spicy · Floral

The producer's tasting description is rounded and generous, with white flowers and fresh zest. Jasmine gives the nose its floral direction, while green cardamom brings a warm, aromatic spice. Citrus peel lifts the combination and keeps the floral notes bright. The sweetening is linked to Sauternes rather than a generic syrup, so the style has a distinct wine-region connection. Juniper anchors the profile as gin, while the named distillates shape its more unusual character.

On the palate, the floral and citrus notes meet a softer sweetness, followed by the gentle warmth of cardamom. The result is fuller than a sharply dry style, but the fresh zest prevents the sweetness from being the only feature. Bordeaux Distilling Co. calls the mouthfeel round and the finish aromatic. It is worth tasting a small measure neat before adding a mixer: this makes the relationship between jasmine, citrus and the Sauternes-derived sweetness easier to follow.

The distillery suggests a Gin and Tonic finished with pomelo zest, or a Vesper Martini. For the long drink, fill a balloon glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary with clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary, pour 5 cl of gin and add 10 cl of Fever-Tree Indian Tonic WaterIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary. Express a narrow pomelo peel over the glass and place it inside with a small jasmine blossom, which echoes the floral distillate; its fragrant bitterness balances the softer, floral palate. The Vesper offers a more spirit-forward alternative and lets the gin's cardamom and jasmine remain prominent. Avoid sweet tonic, which would blur the distinction between the gin's wine-derived sweetness and its fresh citrus notes.