gin no. 013 – Shot Tower Barreled Gin

hungrytommy

June 11

Shot Tower Barreled Gin comes from Baltimore Spirits Company in Maryland.
I loved my visit to the distillery in 2017 when it was just getting started.
Bottled at 100 proof but, an amazingly smooth and enjoyable sipping gin.

This was one of my favorite gin purchases. It ranks up there with the Seekers in Cambodia and The Connaught Bar in London. Back in 2017, it was one of my first distillery visits. I used to travel to Baltimore a lot for work and on March 16, I took some time for myself to visit the Baltimore Spirits Company, the first distillery in the city since prohibition. I drove out and found the building, but then I couldn't find the door to the distillery. There was a clothing donation center, and some other random businesses in this dilapidated warehouse, but the door I needed was nowhere to be seen. When I did find it, I had to cross about thirty-five feet of ice to get to the right door. I was in dress shoes and barely made it.

There were two employees working that day, and the first was friendly but surprised to have a visitor. (I don't think many people were coming to see their operation in those days or they would have had better signage.) The second was a puppy who was more excited to see me but bit me about a dozen times. No harm done though. I got a tour of the space, which wasn't very big, and had a tasting at a working desk. See the picture below. The tasting included their two gins, and their apple brandy. I bought three bottles but have no idea what happened to the Shot Tower gin. Maybe I gave it away.

Most of the room was dedicated to whiskey. Rye was their goal, but given that it needed time to age, employee number 1 explained that they were selling gin while they waited for it to mature. Employee number 2 just bit me again.

Shot Tower is named for a local Baltimore landmark, the Phoenix Shot Tower, which was the tallest building in the United States from its construction in 1828 until 1846. It produced lead shot for muskets until 1892.

The gin is now aged in their Epoch Rye whiskey barrels. I don't know what it was aged in back in 2017. It's bottled at 100 proof, but it's remarkably smooth with notes of herbs and vanilla. This is a gin worth sipping on, and I have almost sipped away the entire bottle.

Here's the current distillery notes on their Barreled Gin:
Barreled Shot Tower Gin spends 9 months developing in used Epoch Rye barrels. The curaçao orange interacts with the barrel's acidity, resulting in notes of candied lemons. Vanilla, caramel, and oak are given from the charred barrel, and a little Rye spice from the whiskey. Bottled at 100 proof.

Since my visit, they have found a new more visit0r-friendly location. I'd love to try their gin again and see if the recipe is changed at all. But I have loved my bottle of Shot Tower Barreled Gin.