That Boutiquey Gin Ageing Gin

End of experiment. March 3, 2020. With just at about 1 month into the experiment, the gin has taken on a full blown burnt brown / mahogany color. Like bourbon. In only a month...surprisngly. I took a few sips, and it’s obvious it’s past it’s prime. It’s now really woody, almost too tannic. Like biting a piece of oak dipped in acetone. So...experiment has concluded...I don’t see this improving anymore. It’s all downhill from here. I think it peaked at right about 2.5 weeks. Now, it’s drain solvent...

Continuing with the experiment: Feb 24th, approx 3 weeks post stave insertion—- It’s been about 3 weeks since, in the name of science, I’ve been doing this experiment. It’s an oak stave inserted into the gin, and regular 3-4 week sips are taken to see how oak impacts the original plain London gin, and at which point in time does it peak. First is the color—-it’s taken on a light brown color now. Almost like a watered down American bourbon. Taste: slight improvement. I’m getting a slightly more oaky flavor, a bit more complex than the original plain gin. I’m wondering at what point will this be at peak.

I figured I’ll play along and insert this wood stave given with the bottle into the gin and see how it progresses over time. Hypothesis: I think the gin will significantly improve over time with the quality Cedar stave inserted. Experiment: once a month, conduct a taste test by a having a few sips. Do it till the bottle finishes or I spit out the sips...whichever comes first. So: week 0, Feb 5 2020: pre-stave insertion: Typical gin flavor —London dry gin. Not bad, but meh.

Not rating it yet—-but wanted to create an entry. I got this for free; sounds like an interesting experiment. They give you a wooden small stave, and you insert it into the gin bottle. Leave it as long as you want to experiment gin aging. Will come back in a few months to see how the experiment is going...