So most Old Toms are sweetened with sugar, honey or sometimes agave, but there are other sweet things, right? Having a penchant for the Canadian tipple icewine, That Boutique-y Gin Company have used this dessert wine to sweeten a pot distilled gin whose botanicals include juniper, liquorice, lemon and lime. The wine not only adds a decadent sweetness, but also a complex array of herbaceous grape notes and a succulent fruitiness.

The label shows our classy cat, looking rather pleased with himself as he strolls through a frozen vineyard, snug as a bug in a rug whilst sipping on a Tom Collins. Try the highly unusual Ice Wine Old Tom, like this cat, in a Tom Collins (a 50/50 mix of soda water and Champagne), ginger ale also works a treat, or for a pre-dinner snifter, try a 50/50 stirred mix with sweet (i.e. red) vermouth.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Intriguing with a deep muskiness and hints of grapefruit; close your eyes and breathe it in!

Taste: Honey and raisins with little flecks of spice and pine.

Finish: The sweet complexity of Sauternes with the dryness of a white Pineau des Charentes. A delight for gin and wine lovers.

Awards