With Young Henrys Head Distiller, Carla Daunton…

It’s an exciting time of the year at Young Henrys with the arrival of our very special, very limited gin batches: Barrel Aged and Newtown Strength - two exceptional new editions to the Noble Cut Gin family. It’s like all our Christmases have come at once!

Gin is a delicious salve for the soul during …well…all of this… so why bother ageing it? It’s already delicious straight from the still! Ageing spirits in oak (either American or European) is equal part science and equal parts ancient mystic magic.

In the olden days spirits simply had to be stored in barrels. Oak was the standard as it was strong yet able to be bent into shape, watertight and antibacterial. Once glass bottles became more accepted and readily available, gin became the typically bright, un-aged spirit you see on the shelf. Ageing a gin in a barrel is now a very special thing.  

The barrel we used to age our gin is an ex-Rye whiskey barrel of American oak. The charring of the wood on the inside of the barrel and the essences of the previous spirit it once held add to the lovely straw colour and caramel and vanilla notes in the spirit.  The wood also allows oxygen to permeate into the spirit, changing the more reactive botanicals. This enabled a different type of complexity to play out compared to our flagship gin - even though the ingredients are the same in both. Some interactions between barrel and spirit take a fair bit of time. The 9 months this batch was left to rest resulted in an enhancement of the softer botanicals, allowing the whole spirit to take on a more mellow feel. I love barrel ageing, it’s such a gentle art with the main influencer on the final product being time - and the time was just right for this gin. 

And then came the Newtown Strength...

 In pulling our barrel aged gin out of its barrel we realised that it was fantastic as is, but could be interesting to blend in a small amount of fresh gin to add complexity to the flavour profile. If I'm making a special, single batch of gin for the barrel aged then why not make it special in its own right? Thus the idea for our ‘Newtown Strength’ gin was born. This is the perfect strong and flavourful companion to the mellow, sweet and complex barrel aged gin. In keeping the ABV high a whole new play of the botanicals occurs on the palate. The stronger alcohol gives you a sweet, pepperberry forward hit before easing towards the juniper and earthy hops before finishing with a delightful zesty citrus. This gin is deceptive in its quiet strength, much like the neighbourhood it honours, our beloved, quirky Newtown.  

Both these gins are a single batch release with only a few hundred available.  I believe these are special gins to be enjoyed by both gin lovers and those who are looking for something a bit different.

Available now from our online store, Newtown tasting bar and select indie retailers.

All imagery via Yeah Rad.