CALEDONIA SPIRITS, BARR HILL GIN $12/2oz pour
About the Distiller:
Caledonia Spirits is located in Caledonia County, Vermont and inspired by the views from atop the Barr Hill Nature Preserve. They were founded by Todd Hardie in 2009 after a 30-year career spent running an apiary. He founded a distillery upon a vision to support working landscapes and local agriculture by making Barr Hill craft spirits from regional raw materials, including his bee hives. Head Distiller, Ryan Christiansen, purchased the distillery from Hardie in 2015, allowing Hardie to purchase land for a new farming venture, Thornhill Farm. With 4 acres of barley and 24 acres of rye, Thornhill Farm is now the primary source of grain for Caledonia Spirits' distillations. They even do all of their barrel work in Vermont-grown, sustainably sourced white oak and have their own cooperage.
Their website sets out their modus operandi as:
Our mindful approach to distilling is influenced by Vermont’s working landscape and the four seasons that so strongly define our place. Our fermentation process captures the natural variation of wild yeast. With custom built stills that reflect our do-it-yourself ethos, our distillers skillfully select the heart of each batch. Raw honey is the distinguishing ingredient in each of our spirits, imparting a soft and subtle essence of wildflower nectars. To sip our spirits is to be transported to a wild place on the fringe of field and forest – this is Landcrafted.
About the Gin:
Barr Hill Gin is our ode to the hard working bees of the Northeast. Each batch is distilled in our custom-built botanical extraction still. The juniper-forward botanicals are brought to a perfect balance by the floral depth of the raw honey. The results are distinctive and unparalleled. How do we extract such complexity from simple raw materials? Our secrets are kept in the hive.
Tasting notes: Lemon-peel and juniper on the nose, opening to hints of eucalyptus and smoke. Texture is very round and smooth, with notes of flowers and soft green herbs. Much more in common with a Plymouth-style gin than a London Dry, but very versatile in cocktails.
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