Review: Copper & Kings American Dry Gin and Old Tom Gin
From brandy to orange liqueur to absinthe, what doesn’t Louisville-based Copper & Kings make? You can take off of that increasingly short list gin, thanks to two new expressions now being distilled here — a dry gin and an old tom. Both are double distilled in alembic stills.
We sampled both expressions. Thoughts follow.
Copper & Kings American Dry Gin – Made “using 100% apple wine from fresh-pressed apple juice. No neutral spirits are used in the distillation.” Botanicals include the classics: juniper berries, coriander, angelica, orris, and “other accent botanicals are steeped in apple brandy low-wine, then redistilled together with vapor distilled citrus peels & lavender in the gin basket.” Rather musty on the nose, I get notes of wet wool and earthy mushroom over anything approaching juniper. Lavender makes a significant appearance too, but it’s particularly impactful on the palate, where it gives a soapy/perfumy impression to the proceedings. The finish is leathery and full of minerals and masonry, with a fruity component that must be being driven by the apple wine distillate. Weird stuff, and far from the course compared to even the most oddball of gins. 92 proof. C / $35
Copper & Kings American Old Tom Gin – A higher-proof expression, with a grape brandy base and a bourbon barrel finishing treatment. Specific botanicals are not disclosed. On the whole this presents like a more typical barrel-aged gin, a pale yellow spirit with notes of vanilla and barrel char on the nose, alongside a smattering of dried herbs, pine needles, and a slight hospital note. The palate is less sharp than you’d think, mellowed out by the barrel time, displaying some floral elements, a racier perfume note, and some camphor that lingers particularly on the back end. That conclusion is particularly pungent, which will likely polarize drinkers. 100 proof. B / $35
Copper & Kings American Old Tom Gin
$35
