‘Drinkers Will be Transported Back in Time’: Craft Distillery Debuts Gin Inspired by Scent of Historic Shredded Wheat Factory

Garden City Old Tom Gin bottles up the nostalgic toasty scent of a shredded wheat factory in Welwyn Garden City, England.

U.K. craft distillery The Spirit of Hertfordshire has debuted its latest gin, an Old Tom expression, and it bottles up something we’ve never before seen featured in a juniper spirit: the nostalgic scent of a historic shredded wheat factory.

“For 80 years, Welwyn Garden City was home to the Shredded Wheat factory, which filled the whole city’s air with the irresistible, nostalgic smell of toasty malted cereal,” the distillery explained.

“To make our Old Tom Gin, we add a hint of that magic cereal aroma to our premium wheat-based spirit and some choice fruity botanicals. The result is something special: a soft, fragrant gin with a hearty hint of heartwarming malt.”

Old Tom is a type of gin typically placed somewhere between gin’s malty predecessor, genever, and London dry. Originating from the 18th century, Old Tom gin is usually a touch sweeter than a London dry and often tastes of warm baking spices and citrus.

Read More: What Is Old Tom Gin? The Spirited Bridge Between the Original Gin and London Dry

The Spirit of Hertfordshire’s head distiller, Richard Osmond, has crafted his distillery’s Old Tom with more than just spiced botanicals. Imbued with treasured childhood memories of a hometown filled with the scent of toasted cereal, Garden City Old Tom Gin is an ode to the golden era of Welwyn Garden City’s history.

“Drinkers will be transported back in time to that golden era of the city’s history when the air was full of promise and cereal,” Osmond informed Welwyn Hatfield Times.

“It’s great to be brought back in time to the way the town used to smell,” Osmond continued, per the report. “It’s a fond childhood memory for me personally. But this gin isn’t stuck in the past. The Shredded Wheat factory is currently being converted into the very chic Wheat Quarter – full of new homes and fashionable places to hang out.”

Garden City Old Tom is now available for purchase on the distillery’s website, priced at £43.99 ($54.26) per 700ml bottle. Additionally, a 200ml taster is £15.99 ($19.73), while a 500ml bottle is £34.99 (43.16).

“Who knows, if enough people open a bottle at once on a breezy night you might catch that old cereal scent on the air once more,” Osmond added.

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