Earp Barrel Aged No 8 Gin

Earp Distilling Co. takes its No. 8 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 and rests it for more than six weeks in vintage fortified-wine casks from the Hunter Valley, the wine region just inland from its Newcastle distillery. The wood gives the spirit a golden colour and, in the distillery's words, changes its profile entirely, bringing woody notes that recall whisky and rum to both nose and palate. It is bottled at 41.4% ABV, and Earp stresses that it remains a true gin, with its core botanicals enhanced rather than masked.

Citrus · Woody

The botanical list on the bottle reads juniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary, coriander, angelica root, wattle seed, orris root, chamomile and lemon myrtle, intertwined with barrel oak. Orange and lemon myrtle open the nose, then the cask brings a slightly sweet note close to dessert wine. Wattle seed adds a toasted, nutty depth that sits well with the oak, while chamomile keeps a soft floral thread. Juniper and coriander return on the finish, which is warmer and rounder than in the unaged gin. The short time in wood is the point: the fortified casks shape the spirit without turning it into a brown spirit.

That balance between gin and cask makes it a good choice for drinks that usually call for an aged spirit. A MartinezMartinezThe presumed ancestor of the Martini: gin (often Old Tom), sweet vermouth, maraschino and bitters, stirred over ice and served straight up.Glossary or a gin Old Fashioned shows the oak and dessert-wine sweetness, while a single large cube is enough to taste how the wood and citrus interact. With tonic, a floral mixer suits the chamomile better than a very bitter one.

Pour 4 cl over clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary in a copa 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, add 10 cl of Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water and stir gently once. Place a strip of grapefruit peel and a chamomile flower in the glass, then arrange matching pieces on a small side plate beside it. Elderflower meets the chamomile, and the grapefruit's bitter oils cut through the cask sweetness.