Old Con

I am absolutely delighted to be the very first retailer to stock Old Con Gin - a true micro-distillery based in Birdsedge, West Yorkshire. I first met Paul and Lisa at a food festival in Malton in September 2021 and was even more interested when I found out they were based literally a mile away from where my in-laws live.

Old Con is inspired by moonshiners who would create spirits to lift spirits during hard times - and let's face it, we're all going through some hard times now. Their gin is made in a small still in their kitchen, and the main focus of their botanical mix is locally sourced Yorkshire heather. When I say 'locally sourced', the heather flowers are actually handpicked from local fields.

This is very much a juniper forward gin, with a good kick of sweet aniseed, but a floral note then takes over and it becomes really quite fragrant. What impresses me even more is the rich mouthfeel - Paul and Lisa are clearly taking a good amount of the cut early on, with the weightier vapours providing a rich texture. It's a belter for a Dry Martini and even more so in a Vesper, as the spicier notes work brilliantly with Cocchi Americano. And there's enough bite to work with pretty much any mixer, although I do recommend a decent ginger ale.

Paul and I had a great discussion about the likes of Grappa, and it sounds like Paul is looking at experimenting with other spirits outside of gin. They already have a great grounding even at such early days, and his enthusiasm for more unusual flavour profiles makes me VERY excited!