First Impressions
Bordeaux Distilling's Noble Rot Botrytis Old Tom Gin is the world's first gin sweetened with Sauternes — the legendary Bordeaux dessert wine made from grapes affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). The name is a tribute to the miraculous fungus that allows late-harvest grapes to produce this exceptional sweet wine, and the gin features a different Sauternes vineyard each vintage year — the 2020 edition being a specific expression of that year's harvest. It is a concept that could only come from Bordeaux.
The Distillery
Bordeaux Distilling Co. produces this gin using distillates of green cardamom, jasmine flowers, and fresh citrus, sweetened with the natural sugar present in Sauternes wines rather than conventional sugar syrup. The Sauternes contributes honeyed, golden sultana, and botrytis-kissed character that no other sweetener can replicate.
Tasting
The nose is round and gourmet — white flowers and fresh zest creating an aromatic profile that hints at both gin and Bordeaux wine. Jasmine and cardamom add complexity.
On the palate, the gin has a very floral aromatic profile. Green cardamom and jasmine provide the botanical framework, with fresh citrus adding brightness. The Sauternes sweetening is the revelation — contributing naturally present sugars that add honeyed, golden sultana, and botrytis-kissed character. The result is an Old Tom quite unlike any other.
The finish is enchanting, with Sauternes honeyed warmth lingering — elegant and genuinely unique.
How to Drink It
In a G&T — the Sauternes character creates something extraordinary with tonic. Also superb in a Martinez where the Old Tom style and the wine-derived sweetness harmonise with sweet vermouth. The vintage-dating invites comparison across years.
The Bottom Line
Bordeaux Distilling Noble Rot earns an 8 for creating the world's first Sauternes-sweetened gin — a concept that is as brilliant as it is specifically Bordelais. The botrytis-kissed honeyed character from the Sauternes is unreplicable by any other sweetener, and the cardamom-jasmine botanical framework provides an elegant foundation. The vintage-dating adds collectible value. At around £48, the Sauternes provenance and the first-of-its-kind innovation justify the premium. Noble rot, nobly distilled.
