New 12-month barrel-aged gin goes on sale

Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. is releasing just 750 bottles of a new small batch gin that has been barrel-aged for 12 months.

Titled Stray Cat Gin, the apple brandy-based spirit is double distilled and made with “classic” gin botanicals before being aged in a medium char Serbian juniper barrel for a year.

The new expression will be sold at the distillery store in Louisville, with a limited number of bottles made available for bars and retailers.

“You can have so much fun distilling, it’s a very creative platform upon which to innovate,” said founder Joe Heron. “Gin is not really our thing, truthfully.

“But we have experimented occasionally and this turned out really fantastically. And is also very unusual for a gin, in terms of cloudy appearance and creamy mouth feel.

“The apple brandy base gives a natural ‘Old Tom’ style profile and one barrel in a cellar is essentially a stray – so we called it the Stray Cat.

“We also have a very strong affection for Brian Setzer.”

Stray Cat Gin is said to give an aroma of fresh cut spruce with juniper and citrus, leading to a taste of “strong juniper”, citrus, lemongrass and baking soda.

“We don’t dabble at distilling,” added Brandon O’Daniel, head distiller. “For us to release a gin, it needed to be exceptional, something that reflects what we do with our American brandy and absinthe, something unique that we can be very, very proud of.

“This is spectacular. It’s a ballsy, confident, independent feline of a gin.”

Bottled at 47% abv, Copper & Kings Stray Cat Gin carries an RRP of US$40 per 375ml bottle.