Journeyman Bilberry Black Hearts Barrel Aged Gin

Journeyman ages its organic Bilberry Black Hearts recipe in new American white oak for six months to a year, then bottles it at 45% ABV. The nine botanicals remain in the recipe: juniper, bilberry, lemon peel, bitter orange peel, cinnamon, coriander, anise, angelica and orris root. New oak adds its own character without carrying flavours from a previous whiskey or wine filling; vanilla and wood join the gin's fruit and pine.

Organic · Woody · Fruity · Vanilla

The aroma is warm and rounded, with the oak and vanilla of the cask set against the base gin's juniper and dark bilberry. Journeyman's tasting notes also mention eggnog, allspice, baking spices and nutmeg on the nose and palate. These impressions make the 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 version feel closer to the meeting point of gin and whiskey, yet the juniper and berry remain easy to recognise. The wood adds a drier, lightly toasted edge; the finish carries spice and fruit without becoming syrupy.

For the Perfect ServePerfect serveThe way the producer recommends serving the gin (glass, tonic, ratio, garnish) to show it at its best.Glossary, Journeyman's own NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary: stir 3 cl of gin, 3 cl of Campari and 3 cl of sweet vermouthVermouthAn aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with herbs and barks; its name comes from the German Wermut, wormwood. Dry vermouth goes into a Martini, sweet red into a Negroni.Glossary in a mixing glass with ice, then strain over fresh ice in a rocks glassRocks glassA short, heavy glass (tumbler) for a spirit over a large ice cube or a short cocktail.Glossary and garnish with an orange twist. The bittersweet aperitif and vermouth give the barrel's vanilla and spice a natural counterpoint, while orange lifts the darker fruit. No tonic is needed: the bitter aperitif and vermouth do the balancing.

The same oak character can bring depth to a Martinez or other gin-and-whiskey cocktails, as Journeyman suggests, but a Negroni provides a direct first comparison. Taste the gin neat or with one large ice cube before mixing; gradual dilution softens the oak and opens the bilberry. The maturation period varies from six months to a year, so the wood's contribution can differ slightly between batches. What stays constant is the combination of the original gin's fruit and pine with the vanilla, toast and spice of new white oak.