Just in time for World Gin Day this Saturday, June 9, Prohibition has released its latest offering – a 60 percent gin (Prohibition Shiraz Barrel Aged) which combines barrel ageing with shiraz and bourbon notes.
The gin has been ageing since they opened at the company’s Gilbert St distillery and tasting room in barrels that hail from a famed American bourbon distillery in Kentucky.
When Prohibition co-founders Adam Carpenter and Wes Heddles finally cracked open the
timber vessels, it revealed a rich, blush-coloured overproof shiraz barrel-aged gin. The vision for the shiraz gin began in 2017 when Mr Heddles commissioned a local cooper to resize the oak barrels to the perfect size for ageing gin.
The cooper charred the barrels, which had most recently held a vintage of Barossa Valley
shiraz, to restore their toasty oak character, before the Prohibition team filled them with the 60 per cent gin (120 proof) and began the waiting process.
Don’t be scared off by the high alcohol content – this spirit has used its ageing process wisely to soften and absorb not just the beautiful shiraz colour, but a rich oak and rye back note which revealed the bourbon ?avours from deep within the timber.
These flavours complement the gin’s citrus, floral and soft vanilla finish, resulting in a spirit worthy of your finest cocktails.
Prohibition unveiled its Shiraz Barrel Aged Gin at a trade tasting event in Melbourne this week.
“They were a pretty tough crowd, but everyone loved the flavour, the complexity and how
different it is to anything else out there,” Mr Carpenter said. “It’s not like any other shiraz gin as there’s no fruit contact, but it’s not your average barrel aged either.”
Mr Carpenter, also a graphic designer, designed the spirit’s rich red foil on black labels to
reflect the gin’s rounded, red liquid. Prohibition’s signature prohibition-era black label image that can be seen through the bottle is this time an image of police spilling barrels into the streets of 1920s America.
Drink the shiraz gin neat over ice, with a simple soda combination or in a classic Negroni, gin Old Fashioned or Boulevardier.
This is a limited release gin, truly not to be missed. It will be another year before these barrels bear fruit again! Test drive this amazing gin at Prohibition’s World Gin Day celebration this weekend, along with more than 20 other gins from distillers all round the world. Or ask at your bottle shop – they are sure to have some soon.
For more information head to the Prohibition Liquor Co website.