Andrew Pinault, Caledonia Spirits Distiller, filling a barrel of Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat
“Each batch is aged in new American oak barrels for 3-4 months. While resting in the barrels, the gin is constantly transforming. The charred oak barrels contribute to the brown color of the spirit and give our Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat its complex flavor. This is our first brown spirit at Caledonia. Weeks of discussion with the TTB lead to us not being able to use the word “gin” on the label (as raw honey is added after distillation and then it goes into a barrel), we are calling this Barr Hill Reserve “Tom Cat.” We hope to release Tom Cat in February.” – Andrew Pinault