We’ve been enthusiastically following Animus’s barrel-aged spirit program since its early days, and this year they have taken proceedings to another level. The 2022 Barrel Aged Gin started out as a variation on the citrus-based Animus Macedon Dry, added to three freshly disgorged Moscato Giallo barriques from the nearby Musk Lane Winery. The choice of oak this year has turned out to be a masterstroke, with these white wine seasoned barrels providing subtle integration, balance and support, rather than dominating the Gin.
This year, despite the colour you see in the bottle, the maturation lasted only 12 months, after which the Gin was deemed ready for blending, dilution (to 55.1% ABV) and bottling by hand. No sugar or colour additions were made. It’s a classy, complex and bold sprit, and, fortunately, there is a little more to go around this year.
Straight up, you’ve got layers of apricot, marmalade, cocoa butter and coconut giving way to mouth-filling pear and pineapple notes, burned sugar and then heat and spice wrapped around a robust structure. When diluted with water or ice, chocolate-orange, herbs and vanilla come to the fore, serving to broaden and soften the complexity of the flavour. There’s so much going on here, yet the Gin’s balance and harmony is certain to stimulate a bartender’s creative juices—an example of the versatility on offer here is Animus’s Flor de Roble Gin made with Fino Sherry, Falernum, lime juice, bitters and coffee beans.