If my memory is correct, the first local gin I ever tried was Wire Works American Gin at the bar at Gibbet Hill in Groton. I liked it so much that I quickly ran out and bought a bottle, then another and another. Soon after, I added the Wire Works Special Reserve to my collection, which was not at all a collection at the time, just gin I was drinking.
Both gins are made by GrandTen Distilling in South Boston. I finally visited on July 14, 2023 as part of a date night with my wife. There was a birthday party going on which made for a lively time, but we got a high top, close to the bar and next to a table covered with board games. We played a rousing game of Trouble and then cards while we sampled their wide range of cocktails.
I didn’t drink any Wire Works that night. Not the two I have at home, and not the Wire Works Rose which I first tried at Toro in Boston. I did try 383 Extra Dry Gin, which is a London dry style and 100 proof. I also tried Dumont New England Gin, which they made for a restaurant (I assume a Mary Dumont restaurant) that was supposed to open, but never did due to COVID. I had both of them in a gin and tonic. They make their tonic from scratch with quinine, angelica, and a little fizz.
I also had their barreled cocktail, Psycho Killer or Psycho Killa depending on where it was written. Not a gin drink, it was made with their South Boston Irish Whiskey, another favorite of mine. It also has chocolate and banana in it, which is one of the greatest combinations ever thought of.
Below is my collection from GrandTen Distilling.
gin no. 004 – Wire Works American Gin
gin no. 005 – Wire Works Special Reserve
gin no. 092 – Dumont New England Gin
South Boston Irish Whiskey
Massachusetts Cranberry Liqueur
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gin no. 004 – Wire Works American Gin
- Wire Works was the first local gin I added to the collection.
- It’s made by GrandTen Distilling in South Boston.
- This is a versatile gin that is subtle enough to do well in most cocktails.
The fourth gin in The Collection is Wire Works American Gin. I have had a bottle of this one for so long that I can’t remember where I got the first one and I can’t even remember where I got the one I have now. I’ve always liked Wire Works even if it isn’t one of the most exciting gins in my collection.
While it leans more botanical than a traditional London Dry with spruce tip, kumquat, juniper berry and angelica root, (I’ve also read white pepper and cranberry?) it’s a subtle gin. It doesn’t taste as alcohol forward as its 90 proof bottling would suggest, but this gin isn’t a sipper. It’s better in a cocktail. You generally get a bottle for less than $30 which is a fair price point for its quality. All in all, Wire Works is a workhorse gin, good and solid for any occasion but without the flare.
Here are the distiller’s notes:
With flavors of spruce tip, kumquat, juniper berry and angelica root, Wire Works American Gin preserves many of the traditional elements that gin lovers seek, while also offering a well-rounded and balanced drinkability. Hints of sweetness and bright citrus are paired with earthy richness and white pepper, producing a versatile gin that can transform well-worn drinks like the dry gin martini or negroni, or lend itself to new and innovative mixology.
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gin no. 005 – Wire Works Special Reserve
- Wire Works Special Reserve is GrandTen’s barrel aged gin.
- They use a different botanical blend than the original Wire Works.
- It is better in a gin and tonic than as a sipper.
The fifth gin in the collection is the barrel aged version of the fourth. They do not simply age the original Wire Works, but rather use the same botanicals in a different blend. They age that gin in American oak barrels for up to a year to make Wire Works Special Reserve.
The result is a creamier gin with a clear taste of vanilla that I really enjoy. It has a slightly lower ABV than the original version, 43.9, but it still isn’t a sipping gin. It makes a magnificent gin and tonic. In fact, I actually prefer the Special Reserve. It is a little more expensive than its unaged counterpart, but just over $30 and worth the investment.
Here are the distiller’s notes:
Wire Works Special Reserve is a unique product that bridges the gap between the citrus brightness of our signature gin and the soft, sweet notes of whiskey. We begin with a special mixture of the botanicals used to create our American Gin. The resulting spirit is then aged in used American bourbon barrels and blended to produce a gin that possesses the distinctly soft textures and caramel-vanilla flavors of bourbon.
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gin no. 092 – Dumont New England Gin
- Dumont New England Gin was produced for a restaurant that never opened due to COVID.
- I first tried it in July of 2023 at GrandTen Distilling and got a bottle for Christmas later that year.
- It’s a bright and refreshing citrus forward gin, perfect for a summer gin and tonic.
Mary Dumont is a successful chef and restaurateur, having spent many years as the chef of Harvest in Harvard Square. Her restaurant Cultivar which closed in 2019 had a gin-centric cocktail menu. Plans were in the works to open a new restaurant just as COVID struck. In preparation for that, she had partnered with GrandTen to make Dumont New England Gin. For a while she served the gin at PlantPub, a vegan restaurant, but those too have now closed.
So I don’t know the fate of Mary or her Dumont Gin. But if you go to the distillery, you can get a bottle of the gin made especially for her. That’s where I first tried it on July 14, 2023 and that’s where my wife bought Batch 4 Bottle 117 as a Christmas present for me later that same year.
The bottle notes that it’s made with “Hand-foraged white fir tips” and notes of “lemon & botanicals.” It’s bottled at 88 proof but is light and refreshing. The lemon-citrus flavors are most remarkable, and while it isn’t built for sipping it does make an easy drinking gin and tonic and would be delightful in a tom collins.
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Concord Culinary Lyceum 
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