Old Tom Gin

Willamette Valley, USA

Ransom Wine & Spirits' historic-style Old Tom Gin, based on early 19th-century recipes and aged in small oak barrels — making it an unusual bridge between gin and whisky in character. Ransom, founded by Tad Seestedt in the Willamette Valley, is one of America's most thoughtful craft spirit producers: their Old Tom is a grain-based, malt-forward gin with botanical character layered over what is essentially a young whisky base. A spirit that sparked the Old Tom revival in the craft cocktail world.

Pairing intelligence

• casual: The Old Tom's gentle sweetness amplified by elderflower tonic creates the archetypal early-style gin-and-tonic; cucumber cools the botanical complexity and mint adds a refreshing mid-palate lift.
• aperitif: Old Tom gin's slight residual sweetness bridges the salt of the olives and the richness of almonds. Juniper aromatics provide freshness against the fat. Classic aperitivo pairing applied to BC craft gin.
• aperitif: Ransom's sweetened Old Tom profile — honey, vanilla, and malt — shifts the classic G and T toward a more complex, lightly sweet expression; cucumber and elderflower tonic amplify the botanical base.
• starter: The Old Tom's malt-sweetened botanical profile finds natural resonance with cured meats' salt and fat; the gin's herbal notes echo Dijon's sharp acidity while the sweetness bridges to the aged cheese.
• aperitif: Old Tom Gin's gentle sweetness creates a bridge between the charcuterie's salty-cured character and the fig spread's sweetness. Juniper's piney freshness cuts through the prosciutto's fat; the gin's citrus lifts the Gruyère's richness. Served in a martini or collins format, this is an aperitif pairing that works horizontally across the entire board.