Few Barrel Aged Gin

Flavor Profile

I’ve been into this before, but I think it bears repeating: if a gin has a white whiskey as it base, and then that gin is aged, is the end product really a gin anymore? Or does Few Barrel Aged Gin tread in dangerous grey spaces.

Could it be— a young botanical whiskey?

Or something else altogether.

Few was one of the earliest distilleries to really push this question. Even as early as 2012, Few Barrel Aged Gin was on shelves in liquor stores, challenging not only our notion of where the boundaries between spirits lie— but challenging our notions of what gin is and can be.

In the late 2010’s this may seem trite. Even over with. “Of course barrel-rested gin is a thing.” But it’s worth appreciating that Few Spirits was among those innovating and helping make this once experimental category something that you can find at the liquor store down the street.

This review is for an early Batch #2 of Few Barrel Aged Gin.

Tasting Notes

A rich woody character permeates the base. You can pick up the earthiness of the base here, but its in the way that the taste builds that Few Barrel Aged Gin really differentiates itself from Genever and even some other barrel aged gins.

There’s a certain spicy sweetness evident here, warm Christmas notes: Cloves, [a good gin-tasting friend of mine pointed out Gingerbread, and I think he may be right], and a faint note of burnt sugar. But its doesn’t end there. You get a bright citrus, rich notes of orange and lemon, and most notably, a bit more juniper than I think you get on the mainline Few Gin [that review coming soon].

The warm wood and other qualities gained by aging stand in balance with an almost traditional gin profile, skewed towards Genever with the choice in base. All being said, it manages to pull it off.