First Impressions
Edinburgh's Old Tom takes a contemporary approach to the sweetened gin style. Rather than adding sugar to mask impurities — the historical reason Old Toms were sweet — Edinburgh distils botanicals that impart natural sweetness: sarsaparilla root for earthy depth, tonka beans for vanilla and almond, meadowsweet for honeyed florals, vanilla pods for creaminess, and macadamia nuts for smooth, oily mouthfeel.
Tasting
The nose delivers vanilla and almonds from the tonka bean — warm, inviting, with honeyed meadowsweet florals. On the palate, rich, nutty and bittersweet — sarsaparilla earthy sweetness meets tonka bean vanilla-almond, with macadamia lending smooth oily mouthfeel. The finish is smooth and viscous with naturally sweet vanilla lingering.
The Bottom Line
Edinburgh Old Tom earns a 7 for a clever contemporary interpretation that achieves sweetness through botanical choice rather than sugar addition. The macadamia nut mouthfeel is genuinely distinctive, and the tonka bean brings a complexity that granulated sugar never could. Excellent in a Tom Collins or Martinez where the natural sweetness integrates beautifully.
