Review

Jensen's Old Tom Gin

Christian Errboe Jensen of Bermondsey Gin Ltd., Bermondsey, London, England, UK. Using Thames Distillery, Clapham, London for production, it is distributed in the UK by Speciality Brands Ltd.

Bermondsey Gin Ltd. 

Danish born Christian Jensen was working in IT for the banking industry and found himself on assignment in Tokyo. Whilst there he met a barman, known as Oda-San, who introduced him to an old unidentifiable Gin from London. During his sojourn, Christian (enjoying this Gin) drank most of it and was presented with a the last remaining bottle on his eventual return home to London.

The Gin pervaded in Christian’s mind and he sought every bottle he could find. Eventually he ended up at a Public Records Office researching recipes from the original, now closed, distillery. Armed with the remains of the last bottle and these recipes, he went to Charles Maxwell at Thames Distillery to see if they could recreate this Gin. After much trial and error, in 2001 Bermondsey Gin was born.

Following Christan Jensen’s initial success with Jensen’s Bermondsey Gin, he went back to the recipe’s he had obtained from Public Records. In the papers dated from the 1840’s he sought to develop one for Old Tom Gin. Using no added sugar, just sweet botanicals, Jensen’s Old Tom Gin was added to the Bermondsey Gin portfolio.

We understand Jensen wishes to make production of his spirits more personal and Bermondsey Gin are planning to set up their own distillery during 2013. It is also hoped they will add to their portfolio with a range of flavored Gins in the near future.

Small batch production but actual methods unknown. Uses no added sugar but increased levels of botanicals (especially liquorice) to inject a small level of sweetness.

Old Tom Gin.

43% (86 Proof).

$$$ - $$$$. Master of Malt in the UK can ship but look to add another 60 – 70% for this.

Botanicals include: almond, angelica, coriander, juniper berries, liquorice and orris root.

The name is self-explanatory: Jensen, the surname of the founder, and Old Tom as the style (or category) of the Gin.

This is very similar to their Bermondsey Gin. On the nose is clear juniper and pine with spice, and to a greater extent herbal aroma’s including citrus and floral notes. The palate shows the strong juniper with spice and more floral notes (violet), finishing with good peppery spice and only a small level of sweetness (compared with other Old Tom Gins). Liquorice provides an undertone on the nose and the palate, from start to finish, and (as it contains a natural type of sugar) we suspect it is in greater quantities than their Bermondsey Gin. Some people can get Eucalyptus on the nose and palate also.

This is not as smooth as their Bermondsey Gin and is best in a mixed drink where the requirement is for a spirit, which is obviously Gin. We are looking to getting more of this to try a greater range of Gin based cocktails. If you are a regular Old Tom drinker you may not appreciate the lower level of sweetness compared to what you are used to. If you are a London Dry drinker, you will certainly like the easy ability to cross over, this spirit clearly provides. A great addition to the Jensen portfolio, providing something closer to historical accuracy than hitherto found, and a nice drink too!

It’s disappointing this is only available in the UK – where are the willing and able distributors when you need them. We understand Vendetta Spirits in Louisiana are trying to place small quantities within the USA.

Unknown.