‘True Barrel Proof Experience’: Barr Hill Launches Cask Strength Expression for a Bold Take on its Tom Cat Gin

Caledonia Spirit’s latest barrel proof Tom Cat expression offers imbibers a taste of a bolder barrel aged gin. (Photo: Caledonia Spirits/Facebook)

The Vermont-based distillery, Caledonia Spirits, has unveiled a new barrel proof expression of its Tom Cat Gin — and it’s sure to please both whiskey and gin drinkers alike.

Barr Hill Kingdom Strength Tom Cat packs a 113-proof punch, boasting tasting notes of smoky oak, vanilla, bright citrus, cedar and just a touch of juniper. Kingdom Strength would be an excellent spirit to sip neat, with ice or in a gin Old Fashioned cocktail.

For the uninitiated, barrel-proof spirits — often whiskey and rum — are ones that have not been significantly diluted after their time spent aging in casks. Spirits like gin are usually cut with water in order to lower the alcohol percentage for improved palatability and to make it cheaper to produce.

Tom Cat (better known as Old Tom) is a gin style that’s slightly sweeter than a classic London dry. The style emerged in 18th-century England when the British government attempted to mitigate the flow of gin with licensing and taxes. This led to underground gin joints cropping up, giving gin drinkers a sneaky way to enjoy their favorite booze. This style of gin gets its name from the use of cat-shaped signs that would deliver a shot of gin through a tube after a coin was inserted. Clever!

Barr Hill Tom Cat gin is sweetened with raw Vermont honey. The expression is highly awarded and currently holds an aggregated score of 96.

Barr Hill’s latest gin pays homage to the distillery’s birthplace and “the rugged spirit of the land” that inspires its team’s everyday work. The new release launches Caledonia Spirits’ Distillery Selection series, which allows its distillers “to celebrate unique barrels and blends that are handpicked and ‘landcrafted’ to create the expressions that they love to drink,” per Craft Spirits.

To get your hands on this unique expression, you’ll have to directly visit the distillery, where it’s available for $79.99.

Read next:

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