Helsinki Barrel Aged Gin

Helsinki Barrel AgedBarrel-aged ginGin rested for a while in wooden casks. It picks up a golden colour and notes of vanilla, spice or the wine that filled the cask before.GlossarySee Barrel-aged gin gins Gin spends several months in American oak casks before being blended with Finnish water. The Helsinki Distilling Company builds it from eight hand-picked botanicals, including Arctic lingonberry, and bottles it at 47% ABV. The cask stage gives the gin its golden colour and adds a smooth wood influence to the botanical recipe.

Citrus · Woody · Spicy

Juniper from the Balkans meets lingonberry, Seville orange and lemon peel, with fennel and coriander seeds, orris and angelicaAngelicaThe root of a tall umbellifer, earthy and musky. After juniper and coriander it is the most common botanical: it binds the aromas and holds the finish.Glossary roots. The nose recalls a Nordic forest, and the finish is smooth with a clear oak note. Oak changes the weight and colour of the spirit, while the recipe keeps the citrus, berry and juniper references present.

The aroma opens with juniper and citrus, followed by a softer impression of berry and wood.

The palate is full and balanced: the oak rounds the spices, while lingonberry brings a sharper fruit note and citrus keeps the finish lifted. The result is neither a liqueur nor a sweetened spirit; the cask shapes the dry ginDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins without obscuring its botanicals.

Its balance suits a small neat pour, a large cube, a gin and tonic or a spirit-forward cocktail. The distillery's bar pairs it with ginger and lemongrass, a choice that complements the wood and spice without masking the juniper. This makes the gin adaptable: a restrained tonic highlights its cask finish, while a stirred cocktail gives the oak and roots more time in the glass.

For a gin and tonic, fill a large 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 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. Add a small slice of fresh ginger and a short piece of lemongrass to the drink. The ginger echoes the warm spice and lemongrass lifts the citrus. Keep both modest. To taste the cask more directly, pour a small neat measure or serve it over one large cube.