The term ‘Old Tom’ might make you think of a grizzled feline. In gin parlance however, it refers to a particular style of gin that originated in the 19th century. Yes, some 100 years later than most folklore will have you believe…
Old Tom is considered to be the bridge-point between where gin was moving from malty Genever and the dryer, cleaner based spirited London Dry.
Here’s everything you need to know about it from flavour, to history…
Old Tom is a sweeter style of Gin
One of the key distinguishing features of Old Tom gin is its sweetness.
Unlike London Dry Gin, which is strictly regulated to ensure no additional flavours or sweeteners are added post-distillation, Old Tom is often intentionally sweetened. But don’t be fooled! This isn’t a sugary spirit nor a liqueur, nor something that happens incognito.
Old Tom is beautifully balanced style, offering complex botanical notes overlaid with a light, pleasing sweetness.
There’s no EU or USA regulations on the style. This means there is quite a bit of variation between different Old Toms on the market. Many can claim to be authentic too, as a wide-ranging approach on how to make it has been true right from the start.
It’s revival into the modern gin scene can be attributed to two brands, Hayman’s Old Tom and Ransom Old Tom. Both were inspired to create a gin for bartenders looking to create authentic versions of classic cocktails depicted in recipes by the likes of Jerry Thomas and other legendary bartenders of the turn of the 1900’s.
Hayman’s Distillery bases its recipe on family archives. Meanwhile Ransom was the result of a deep dive into historical records. Both are as authentic as they come. Between them, they show two different approaches to the sweetness conundrum, and what Old Tom might have historically been like.
They show that what Old Tom tastes like really comes down to to things. When you are basing it off (which era your recipe is from), and if you want to put a modern spin on it or not.
Sugar or botanical sweetness
It’s highly unlikely that gins at the turn of the 19th Century had much sugar, or even honey. Both were far too expensive a commodity and gin, by contrast was still mostly both rough and cheap. Therefore, to begin with, distiller’s would have used liquorice root and other botanicals to mimic ‘sweetness’ and reduce the spirit burn.
As the century passed and the British Empire continued to expand, the availability of sugar increased. Eventually, it became a mainstream commodity, namely with the advent of beet sugar from Europe (via what Franz Achard pioneered in 1783) , not just slave plantation cultivated imports from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Gin was also on a redemption journey from being the scourge of the 1730’s (see Gin Craze). It took a long time to improve to what might have been served in the Gin Palaces of the 1810’s depicted by Dickens, which is when the term Old Tom first makes an appearance in print and illustrations.
It’s likely that distillers evolved their approach and perspective on how to incorporate sweetness as the decades past.
As to when that happened? While in the early 19th century, it’s plausible that some distillers would have used sweetener post-distillation. From 1850-70’s onwards, it’s likely that it was commonplace.
Today, you find both approaches being used to make Old Tom Gin. Sometimes, in the same gin even! Some producers add sugar to their gin after distillation, while others incorporate naturally sweet botanicals such as liquorice root during the distillation process.
Cask aged and Old Tom?
You’ll also find nods to barrel ageing in the genre, with many modern Old Tom’s spending time in oak.
It’s worth noting that while a lot of gin would have been shipped and sold in casks back in the 19th century. It would have also been stored in large wooden vats. At the time ageing was un-intentional, it was just a by-product of the way gin was stored, moved around and sold. Irrespective of intent however, the use of casks would have had an effect on the flavour of gin’s during the era. A pale golden hue perhaps. Maybe more in some instances.
When it comes to Old Tom Gin today, it’s an homage that some producers pay to the genre’s roots. Furthermore, it’s also an interesting way of adding perceived sweetness as casks impart complex flavours of their own.
Ransom Old Tom, to use our early reference, is cask aged for this reason.
It’s easy to see why many take a similar approach too. Vanillins from ex-bourbon casks, dried fruit from ex-sherry and jammy notes from ex-port pipes being some of the more apt ones here…
The other distinguishing feature of Old Tom is botanical intensity.
Back in the 18th and 19th century, it didn’t take long for distillers to understand that there are other ways to cover up a rough base spirit than just sweeteners.
Besides, if you’ve ever taken a bad spirit and added sugar, the burn and bitterness may soften, but the taste remains just as bad!
For gin makers at the time, the answer was botanical overload. By using an over-abundance of botanicals, distillers could mask the poor base spirit and offer up unique recipes.
While the need for ‘masking’ is no longer there, (and to be fair – it wasn’t really needed by the mid 1800’s) the bold and botanically brave approach to flavour profiles remains a part of the Old Tom Genre in today’s re-imagined category. They are intentionally loud!
Old Tom’s origins. Time to dispel some myths…
The origins of Old Tom Gin is nothing short of captivating. It entwines elements of feline imagery, secretive gin traps, and influential guides. And who doesn’t love a story that involves cats?
One of the most intriguing narratives regarding Old Tom Gin’s inception takes us to London. The style of gin is often linked to when Captain Dudley Bradstreet invented a way around local laws prohibiting the sale of gin.
He fashioned a door sign shaped like a cat’s head. The door sign was in essence, a manually operated vending machine. After placing a coin under the cat’s paw and reciting the words “Puss, give me two pennyworth of gin,” eager patrons were rewarded with a shot of gin dispensed through a funnel! This lead to a proliferation of ‘Puss and Mew’ shops across London.
The reason it’s always linked with the style is because so many Old Tom Gins have a cat depicted on their label. One plus one must equal two right? Not so much…
The problem with Dudley or Puss & Mew shops being the origin of the term is that the term Old Tom Gin was never spoken of at the time in any recorded print that’s survived. That only happens after 1800 – (1810 in columns, 1812 in print adverts). More importantly, in his own accounts, Captain Dudley’s did not claim to have invented it. He wrote an entire book on his adventures bragging about a lot of things. Yet, no mention there at all…
It’s safe to say that, despite being a key instigator linking gin and cats from the mid 1700’s – Old Tom it has nothing to do with him.
Old Tom Chamberlain
The more straightforward account attributes the name Old Tom to an apprentice, Thomas Norris, and his former teacher / supervisor Thomas Chamberlain. Chamberlain was nicknamed Old Tom.
Legend has it that Old Tom worked at the Hodges Distillery, in London. Over time, Chamberlain’s Gin developed a reputation. And as things do over time, a bottle of Old Tom became a byword for getting “the good stuff”.
Not only was the quality of Chamberlain’s gin immortalised in print in the 1860’s, it’s clear to see that Hodges had built a reputation by selling (and even exporting) its Old Tom in sealed and branded bottles. It’s hard to argue against the weight of probability that the reason for term was a result of him as a man, and of that distillery.
Another reason other writers believe it to be true points to what may well also be a historical first for the drinks industry. Claims being made over the Old Tom naming history and the reasons for a cat being on the label were apparently recorded in a legal transcript where two brands fought over ‘passing off’ infringements. Which may well be the first trademark case for spirits brands in the UK.
In the proceedings, details of how the name came about alongside the mark (logo) are both addressed.
Given the nature of where the statements were being made and the timing of them – this has added further weight to Chamberlain being the origin of the name, and that his creation first made circa 1800, was the most likely start point for Old Tom Gin as a style of gin.
Old Tom is a historic Gin genre, now forging a new chapter for itself
Old Tom Gin weaves together history and flavour, intertwining traditional ideas with modern understanding and new interpretations.
From its origins in the 19th century to the imaginative approaches of today’s distillers, Old Tom remains a testament to the artistry and evolution of gin making. Its unique balance of sweetness and intense botanicals continues to captivate enthusiasts and experts alike.
As it adapts to contemporary tastes while honouring its storied past, Old Tom Gin not only reflects the dynamic nature of the spirits industry but also serves as a bridge connecting generations of gin lovers.
