Treaty Oak Distilling’s Waterloo Barrel-Aged is an American gin produced in Dripping Springs, Texas. Aged up to two years in medium-char white oak barrels, it features a dark hue, influenced by the Texas climate.
This bottle made me a believer in the end, and it had to work hard to do it. But, it pulled it off. The nose is straight cinnamon and barbecue. The palate clues us in to the complexity to come, though a hair bitter. The finish is truly the finale though, with some great balance and complexity. I like this one, its very good.
It’s an aged gin that pushes the buttons and the boundaries of what we expect. That being said, there’s some good and some bad. I love the way it compliments cream in a cocktail or works in a Negroni. I’d probably like it a bit more if there was more restraint in the charred/smoky notes which allowed more of the other botanicals to have their moment in the sun
Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
House Review
Nose:
Powerful and oak forward. Notes of mesquite, barbecue, oak, cassia and vanilla. Rich toffee and caramel. A hint of juniper manages to squeak through a little. Powerful cinnamon.
Taste:
Rich on the palate, very oaky. This is very clearly heavily influenced by the barrel, with a lot of caramel, cassia, bitter oak and toffee. Red hots candies. Juniper and some citrus peek through, but this gin is all about the barrel.
Finish:
Long, rich and powerful. Here is where it gets good. Typically I dont love the finishes on aggressively aged gins, but things really fire here. While the palate was a bit disjointed, the finish is excellent. Lots of caramel to play against the sharp juniper, lots of sweet cream to contrast the pepper. Rich orange peel and lemon zest.
Overall:
This bottle made me a believer in the end, and it had to work hard to do it. But, it pulled it off. The nose is straight cinnamon and barbecue. The palate clues us in to the complexity to come, though a hair bitter. The finish is truly the finale though, with some great balance and complexity. I like this one, its very good.
Score:
85
By T8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources