Hayman's Old Tom Gin

Product of: United Kingdom

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Launched in November 2007, Hayman's Old Tom is a modern day recreation of an original family recipe dating from the 1860s which interestingly contains sugar. It is made with the same ten botanicals which feature in other Hayman gins but with more botanical intensity and the addition of the sugar.

As many of you will already know, 'Old Tom' is a style of gin originally popular in the 18th century. Back then distillation techniques were not as advanced and consequently the base spirits from which the gins of the day were produced tended on the rough side. To mask this and produce a more palatable spirit, gin makers added sugar so producing a slightly sweetened gin. This style of gin gradually died out giving way to the London dry style which dominates the gin market today. This was driven by improved distillation and also a change in fashion, partly led by the launch of the brut style of champagne.

Hayman's Old Tom is made by Christopher Hayman, the great grandson of James Burrough, founder of Beefeater gin and is said to be based on an 18th century family recipe.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 08/12/2022

Appearance:

Crystal clear.

Aroma:

Clean fresh juniper and orange zest with liquorice and black tea.

Taste:

Juniper-led, clean and very slightly sweet. Juniper is backed by citrus, subtle spice and a touch of liquorice.

Aftertaste:

Sweeter on the finish with juniper invigorated by cracked black pepper.

Overall:

Brilliantly balanced botanicals with just enough sugar to be soft and silky on the pallet rather than obviously sweet.