Blinking Owl Old Tom Barrel Vacationed Gin

"Barrel vacationed" was Blinking Owl's term, and it's the right one: this gin didn't so much age as go somewhere nice for three months and come back with a tan. Orange County's first craft distillery since Prohibition, founded in Santa Ana by Brian and Robin Christenson and Ryan Friesen, took its grain-to-glass gin — house-distilled from organic California wheat with twelve botanicals led by juniper, hibiscus, citrus peel, and sage — and rested it in a limited number of late-harvest Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc barrels sourced each year from a prestigious Napa producer. Old Tom was the lightly sweetened gin style of 1800s England, and those dessert-wine barrels do the sweetening here naturally: no sugar was added, yet the wood imparts a hint of honeyed sweetness along with color and warmth. Bottled at 96 proof (48% ABV). Orange Coast magazine's first sip looked like whiskey and smelled like gin — comfy and snuggly at the proof, definitely not hot — and co-owner Robin Christenson called it her personal favorite in the portfolio. Expect juniper and hibiscus over golden honey, baking spice, and soft oak, with a gentle late-harvest sweetness on a warm finish. The distillery has since closed, making this a genuinely limited piece of Orange County craft history. Built for a Martinez, a Tom Collins with depth, or a gin Old Fashioned.

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