Paso Robles, CA: Calwise Spirits and Firestone Walker Brewing Company today unveiled “Old Tom Big Sur Gin”—a brewery-inspired riff on the distillery’s signature Big Sur Gin.
“This was an opportunity to elevate the Big Sur Gin experience with ingredients and input from an iconic California brewery,” said Calwise Master Distiller Aaron Bergh. “Old Tom Big Sur Gin reflects a meeting of the minds, with grapes, grains and botanicals coming together to create a gin like no other.”
Located just a mile from the Calwise Spirits distillery in Paso Robles, Firestone Walker proved to be a fitting partner when Bergh came knocking. “Aaron is our neighbor and we’ve always admired his creations, so it was a natural collaboration,” said Firestone Walker’s Chief Operating Officer Nick Firestone. “We’ve been working with spirits barrels for nearly 20 years to create our barrel-aged strong ales, and we see this as an extension of that tradition.”
In addition to the main Old Tom Big Sur Gin, Calwise also released a separate “Rested in Oak” edition, which was matured for three months in American oak barrels inherited from Firestone Walker’s Double Barrel fermentation program. The moniker “Old Tom” is a nod to the original 18th century British gins known by that name, and to the English heritage of brewery co-founder David Walker.
Flavors of California
To help create “Old Tom” Big Sur Gin, Firestone Walker generated a mash of traditional brewing grains with a complement of wine grape juice, all fermented with native yeast and bacteria. This base was then distilled by Calwise, imparting a unique imprint into the flavor profile of the original Big Sur Gin.
Then, in the established Big Sur Gin fashion, Bergh infused the gin with organic wild herbs that are largely native to California’s iconic Big Sur coastline, including white sage, yerba santa, bay, fennel and elderberry as well as the essential juniper.
“We also enhanced the traditional recipe by including botanicals such as coriander and orange peel, which were suggested by Brewmaster Matt Brynildson,” Bergh said. “We added rose petal as an ode to David Walker’s British roots.”
Bergh worked with Brynildson, Sensory Research Analyst Craig Thomas and the Firestone Walker brewing team to create the mash, acquire the right barrels and guide both versions of Old Tom Big Sur Gin to fruition.
The resulting gins provide both common and contrasting qualities. The main version of “Old Tom” Big Sur gin is fragrant and elegant, while the version matured in DBA barrels has a richer, almost whiskey-like color and taste.
Master distiller Aaron Bergh was destined for this adventure. During Prohibition, the Feds shut down his family’s moonshining operation—but not for very long. A century later, the law came knocking again, because the college authorities didn’t appreciate Aaron making hooch in his dorm. Calwise Spirits is Aaron’s ode to this renegade heritage, and a nod to his homeland of coastal California. Now established as one of the youngest master distillers in the world, he has created a line of premium spirits that embody the essence of the Golden State, infusing them with native ingredients that provide a pure taste of liquid California. Visit CalwiseSpirits.com.
Founded by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker in 1996, Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a California beer company with three innovative brewing facilities. Firestone Walker’s main brewery in Paso Robles produces a diverse portfolio ranging from iconic pale ales to vintage barrel-aged beers. The Barrelworks facility in Buellton makes eccentric wild ales, while the Propagator pilot brewhouse in Venice specializes in R&D beers and limited local offerings. Firestone Walker is also the brewery behind 805, one of the nation’s fastest-growing beers. Firestone Walker was recently named “Best American Brewery of the Decade” by Paste Magazine.
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