Spring44 Old Tom Gin

About Spring44 Old Tom Gin

Just a few miles north of Denver, Jeff Lindauer, Russ Wall and Jeff McPhie are hoisting an , 450-gallon stainless steel water tank into the back of their Ford F-250 pickup truck. The truck, which the men have nicknamed “Tinkerbell,” is used to transport water sourced from Spring44 back to their distillery in Loveland, Colorado. “The first time I knew we really had something really special was when the lab called and asked where I got it,” says Lindauer about water sourced from Spring44.

In 1969, Don Lindauer — Jeff’s father — purchased a 40-acre parcel of property in northern Colorado that remains accessible only by navigating a jeep trail. The property, situated 9,000 feet above sea level and completely surrounded by the Roosevelt National Forest, is home to Spring44, one of the purest sources of water on Earth.

Spring44 water is never touched by chemicals or municipal water treatment plants — it comes directly from the ground. The spring isn’t even served by an electrical grid — the power needed to draw the water from the well is generated entirely from the sun. Naturally filtered by earth, only one billionth of one percent (or 0.000000001%) of water in the world meets this strict definition. In addition, the water sourced from the spring is slightly acidic and has a low Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) ratio, meaning it has virtually no taste except for a touch of sweetness. “It’s high-quality water,” says Joe Tamurini, a senior engineer at Tetra Tech, a firm that specializes in engineering and consulting services related to water.

Lindauer, Wall and McPhie transport water sourced from Spring44 in Tinkerbell, which is outfitted with special suspension and gears in order in order navigate the jeep trail. At their distillery, the distillers ferment a mash of grains sourced from the Midwest before distilling the grains with organic juniper berries. After distillation, the gin is distilled a second time with a secret recipe of botanicals, including toasted coriander, lemon grass, orris root, galangal root, fresh grapefruit peel and fresh rosemary. The double distillation process provides for a more pure gin, and also results in stronger bursts of citrus (particularly orange and grapefruit) while restraining some of the flavor of the juniper.

Following the second distillation, the gin is aged in toasted American oak barrels for a minimum of two months. This maturation process add notes of butterscotch, popcorn and a hint of smoke to the gin. Once the gin has aged, it is brought to proof with water sourced from Spring44 and sweetened with a touch of organic amber agave nectar.

“It’s a mix of legacy — land of my father and this spring — combined with the cause,” explains Lindauer. “We’re building a truly great American brand. And we’re doing it authentically.”

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