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A little while back, we walked you through the first offering we tried from Ransom, their bourbon (you can see that here). Well, that’s not all they’re distilling out there on their property. They’re also making a few varieties of gin, and we opted to try out the variety that most of us have never tried before: Ransom Old Tom Gin.
Ransom Old Tom Gin: History
What’s Old Tom Gin? Well, you can read more about it here, but basically, it’s a recipe that dates from 18th Century England, and would have been the gin most commonly used in pre-Prohibition cocktails. For me, though, I’m not a mixologist, so I kept this one pretty simple, trying it straight, as well as in the classic gin-and-tonic.
Color
The first thing you notice about Ransom Old Tom Gin is it’s color. We’re used to it being crystal clear, but here you’ve got a very caramel color, which signals you’ve got something different going on here. Pour it into a glass, and that is super-reinforced. While we’re used to that strong hit of botanicals from a classic dry gin, here you have more of a floral, or woody, nose with a slight hint of citrus.
Ransom Old Tom Gin: Price
When I tasted the Ransom Old Tom Gin – both straight and in the G&T – I felt it had a rather woody taste to it. Sometimes with flavors, I tie them in my mind to the scent of things. With the Ransom Old Tom Gin, I felt like it tasted like the smell of cedar, for some reason. It’s an interesting combo, to be sure. It does mix decently well with tonic water as well, but if that’s your primary vehicle, then this may not be the bottle for you. For any other sort of cocktail (especially those really old recipes), this one should be a unique addition to the cabinet. You can get a bottle for $37.99 at your local shop, or directly from ransomspirits.com
