Old Tom is a distinctive form of gin, generally sweeter than London Dry, owing its origin to the practice in the 18^th century of making the rough gins distilled more palatable by sweetening them with liquorice or sugar. It is said that Captain Dudley Bradstreet, following the passing of the Gin Act of 1736 designed to curb the consumption of gin, hung a sign of an old tomcat outside of his London establishment. Beneath the cat’s paw was a slot into which a penny coin was dropped. Upon receipt of the coin Bradstreet would pour a measure of gin through a lead pipe directly into the mouth of his customer.

The name Old Tom is likely to come from Thomas Chamberlain, an early 19^th century distiller, who taught Thomas Norris all he knew. Norris opened a gin palace in Great Russell Street, selling gin from barrels marked Old Tom. It was said to be a good quality spirit. Old Tom dominated the gin scene for decades but as distilling techniques improved, there was less need for sweetening agents to be added and the popularity of this style of gin waned, drinkers preferring the more drier style of gin. By the 1970s it was almost unobtainable. Fortunately, Old Tom is now seeing a bit of a ginaissance.

I suppose if you have spent 60 years selling spirits and liquors, as the good folks at Cornwall’s Constantine Stores have, you should have accumulated enough knowledge to have a good shot at producing your own shot at a gin. Penny Drop Cornish Old Tom Gin, a name marrying Captain Bradstreet’s entrepreneurial spirit with a passing homage to Thomas Chamberlain, is Mark and Andrew’s take on this style of gin.

Launched in late 2020 it is made, they claim, from the finest hand-selected botanicals including juniper berries, coriander seeds, black pepper, cassia bark, vanilla, meadowsweet, lemon peel, and locally harvested sea buckthorn berries. To give the spirit that extra dollop of sweetness they add Polwheveral honey, produced in Constantine. I bought a jar last time I was in Constantine and it is delicious. It is worth having a sore throat for. The finished product has an ABV of 40%.

The bottle is dumpy and squat, made from clear glass, with a wide but short neck and a black artificial cork stopper, covered in a gold sealing wax, which was a bit of a bugger to get open. The labelling is distinctive, almost Victorian in style, a mix of black and turquoise backgrounds and gold and white lettering. The centrepiece is a caricature of a winking cat, tempting anyone who passes by to sample the wares. The label on the rear of the bottle tells the tale of Bradtreet’s ingenuity and is headlined, “The Penny has Dropped”.

On opening the bottle, the aroma was one of juniper and pepper with a distinctive hint of honey. In the glass, the crystal-clear spirit did not disappoint, a marvellously complex but well-balanced mix of juniper, spice, pepper and the sweetness imbued by the honey. Unlike the case with many of the Old Toms I have sampled, the honey did not overwhelm the other botanicals and though undisputedly sweet, I would place it at the drier end of the Old Tom spectrum.

An excellent gin and an interesting take on the Old Tom style.

Until the next time, cheers!