Purity Organic Old Tom Gin Review

After being impressed with all three vodka offerings from the Purity distillery, it is time to try their gin, and they have got their work cut out trying to impress me because while I absolutely adore gin, Old Tom is not my favorite.

For those of you unfamiliar with Old Tom Gin, it has the typical juniper notes found in regular gin but has additional sweeteners as well as many having licorice additives which is the main issue for me. These were traditionally added to mask poor quality alcohol. There are many spirits of many persuasions that still do this today ( I’m looking at you Bumbu Rum ).

If you have been following me for a while, then you will know that licorice and I are sworn enemies. However I am slowly forcing myself to drink as much of it as possible to grow accustomed to it, sort of like exposure therapy. If anything I should be trying to limit the copious amount of alcohol I drink, but when others zig I tend to zag.

Old Tom is making a resurgence in recent years and so I am excited to see what Purity has done to it. I have heard that they use pure cane sugar instead of simple sugars to sweeten this which is greatly appreciated. They also use their 34 times distilled vodka as a base which I loved individually so I am hoping to get the nice creamy consistency from their as well.

On the nose I get the sweet honey like notes from the cane sugar and a nice piney juniper. There is also some light fruit. I’m not getting any licorice at all so I am guessing it was excluded for the recipe. It’s messing up my acclimatization plans but I’m secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

On the palette, the smoothness and minerality of the vodka is there and the lingonberry notes really come out. This is a nordic product and I love when gins use local products that surround them. The sugar is quite muted and doesn’t cause the sickly sweet sensation which can happen in some Old Tom’s. On the finish the herbal basil and rosemary come to play.

This is probably one of my favorite Old Toms I’ve had. The sweetness is controlled, the juniper is there and complemented by refreshing berry notes and fresh herbs. I still prefer my gin without sugar at all but if you have a sweet tooth of any kind, you will love this product.

Can be found at

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[embed]Purity 34 Craft Nordic Old Tom Gin Elevate Your Cocktails: Old Tom Gin, a smooth delight with a touch of sweetness, for timeless mixology. Old Tom gin was…topshelfwineandspirits.com