Fifty/50 Cask Aged Gin (500ml)

A gin with a difference, and a claim to be the oldest gin in the world. That's not hard to believe when you learn half of it's aged in casks for twenty years. The spirit was originally sourced by the House of MacDuff, a company run by mother-and-son team, Jane and Iain MacDuff in Renfrew - a small town just outside Glasgow. Back then, the gin category was relatively slow. Being curious distillers they wondered what a spell in oak might achieve. That turned out to be a lengthy experiment indeed. For the first decade, virgin casks infused sweet vanilla, ginger and strong oak flavours. For the second decade, ex whisky barrels were employed. These allowed the wood to slowly impart greater depth, however the juniper dominant note typical of unaged gins subsided. To revive the botanicals, the liquid was blended with fresh London Dry at a ratio of 1-1. Following several experiments, the result captures the best of both worlds: New & old, deep & fresh. It looks like whisky, but the keynotes of gin come through strongly: Lavender potpourri, chamomile tea, distant peppercorns and cough lozenges repeat in a full-throttle attack. The creamy middle is rounded off by suggestions of orange zest, crushed pine needles, lemon chutney and light vanilla. With tongue tingling peppers to match the botanicals and oak, Fifty/50 is no gin for beginners, and more of a Winter treat than a Summer time refresher. Or if you prefer whisky, this may even swing you into another category. Other ingredients include coriander, cassia bark, cinnamon, angelica, orris root, liquorice, lemon and sweet orange peel. Batches are limited to around 2000 bespoke barrel-shaped bottles. 50% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews...  because no-one has aged gin for twenty years, what does it taste like? Is it really like nothing I’ve ever tasted before? The answer is: absolutely. Although it looks more whisky than gin, it’s the opposite on the nose. It has that whisky complexity, yet also that hit of juniper and other aromas you associate more with gin. There’s a vanilla sweetness to it as well, with some oakiness and fresh citrus. It definitely makes you think: ‘Wow, what is this?’ On the palate the juniper is less evident, but the vanilla sweetness is emphasised by some caramel flavours too. The citrus is still there as well. On the nose it’s more like a gin, on the palate more like a whisky, and even reminded me of tequila. It’s super-smooth and warming going down, with a sweet aftertaste. So yes, it isn’t like anything I’ve ever tasted before, and it’ll be a long time before I taste anything like it again, I’m sure. - traveldistilled.com