The largest part of my Gin Collection is from Short Path Distillery in Everett, MA. The House Gin of The Juniper Society is their signature gin, gin no. 002. My favorite of theirs is the Winter Gin, gin no. 006. I am also a huge fan of their Triple Sec, which is what I use to make my margaritas. Because so much of my writing focuses not only on the gin but on the people who make it, I decided to put all of Short Path in one place. The reviews for no. oo2 and no. oo6 are longer and have their own pages, but the rest of my Short Path collection is available here:
gin no. 002 Short Path Gin
gin no. 006 Short Path Winter Gin
gin no. 007 Short Path London Dry
gin no. 008 Short Path Old Tom
gin no. 051 Short Path Migration Batch 1
gin no. 052 Short Path Migration Batch 2
gin no. 053 Short Path Migration Batch 3
gin no. 054 Short Path Migration Batch 4
gin no. 107 Captain’s Orchard
gin no. 110 Pink Gin
gin no. 112 Kappy’s Summah
And here are the ones I have tried, but don’t have in the collection (yet). I also swear I had the Spring Gin once at Henrietta’s Table, but I never recorded it.
Acadia Gin
Ball Square Family Selection
Omni Boston at the Seaport Proprietary Gin
Short Path Migration Batch 5
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gin no. 007 – Short Path London Dry
- I am the proud owner of Batch 1, Bottle 2 of Short Path London Dry.
- An excellent traditional gin from Everett, MA.
- The bottle features the European Starling, introduced to the US around the same time as London Dry gin.
Our numbering system really doesn’t have a rhyme or reason. Many of the gins are out of order from when I got them because the numbering didn’t come until later. But what a nice happy accident that this London Dry is 007. I first tried it at the Distillery and bought a small bottle of their batch number 1. In fact, it’s bottle 2 of batch 1. I haven’t opened it, but I did buy a new bottle on November 10, 2023 which is the drinkable bottle.
Short Path describes the profile of its London Dry: “Juniper, lemongrass, and coriander, are combined to round out notes of pine with pleasant bursts of citrus.” These three main botanicals, along with eucalyptus and lavender flavor their flagship gin as well. The citrus flavor certainly shines through.
At the distillery a 750 ml bottle costs $33, the same price as the flagship gin and slightly cheaper than the seasonal gins. The bottle, always a highlight of Short Path spirits, has a bright yellow label. It features the European Starling, first introduced to New York by Shakespeare fans in the late 1800’s, around the same time London Dry gin made its way from England to America.
Short Path London Dry is a solid traditional gin. Despite being 86 proof, I enjoy it on the rocks. It also makes an excellent gin and tonic. And while I prefer the additional botanicals of their flagship gin, for a gin traditionalist, this is an exceptional bottle.
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gin no. 008 – Short Path Old Tom
- Short Path Old Tom is rested in whiskey barrels and slightly sweetened
- I have a small bottle from the first batch and a larger bottle for enjoying
- Read on for the story of the history of Old Tom Gin
Old Tom Gin is a slightly sweeter gin than the more traditional London Dry. Because of that it is often easier to drink neat. Our favorite Old Tom comes from Hernö in Sweden, gin no. 072. Short Path Old Tom Gin is first distilled in a copper still, but then rested in whiskey barrels giving it an amber color. Finally, it is slightly sweetened before being bottled, giving it a round, smooth flavor.
Like with the London Dry, I have bottle 124 of Batch 1, but I also have a new full sized bottle. The Old Tom is 43% ABV, but it does have more heat than expected when tasted neat. While Old Tom makes an acceptable gin and tonic, I think it is better in a casino cocktail or just sipped on. The Short Path Old Tom has rich notes of vanilla and caramel.
Old Tom is priced at $38 for 750 ml, the same price as their seasonal gins and five dollars more than their signature gin. The bottle features the winter wren, which they probably should have put on the Winter Gin! But I’ll forgive them, because their gin is too good. Final thought.
And if you are interested in the history of gin, here is a story about Old Tom Gin from Short Path’s website:
Old Tom Gin plays a significant role in the history of gin. It emerged in 18th. century England during the Gin Craze, when spirits were harsh and alcohol consumption was heavy. To increase profit margins, distillers would cut gin with turpentine and sulphuric acid, creating spirits that were barely drinkable and sometimes even deadly. To make this gin taste better, the English started sweetening it with liquorice or sugar, making it a sweeter, less botanical version of what was being consumed at the time. This new spirit became known as Old Tom Gin.
So what’s in a name? There are many tales, but the name “Old Tom” allegedly comes from a picture of a black cat named “Tom” that hung outside of a bar in London. If you saw a bar with an old tom cat in the window, you could drop a coin into a lot underneath the cat’s paw and get a shot of gin in return. Old Tom dominated the gin scene for decades, but as distillation techniques improved, there became less of a need for sweetening agents, and folks became more interested in drier styles of gin.
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gin no. 051 – Short Path Migration Batch 1
- Part of a special release of four progressive aged gin from Short Path Distillery.
- Migration 1 is London Dry Gin aged in whiskey barrels.
- The series was a gift from my friend Michael.
My good friend Michael bought me the Short Path Migration series as a gift. They began with their London Dry Gin and then aged it in a variety of barrels changing both the color and flavor as it went. Batch 1 was aged in whiskey barrels.
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gin no. 052 – Short Path Migration Batch 2
- Part of a special release of four progressive aged gin from Short Path Distillery.
- Migration 2 is London Dry Gin aged in whiskey barrels followed by apple brandy ones.
- The series was a gift from my friend Michael.
My good friend Michael bought me the Short Path Migration series as a gift. They began with their London Dry Gin and then aged it in a variety of barrels changing both the color and flavor as it went. Batch 2 was aged in whiskey barrels, followed by Apple Brandy barrels.
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gin no. 053 – Short Path Migration Batch 3
- Part of a special release of four progressive aged gin from Short Path Distillery.
- Migration 3 is London Dry Gin aged in whiskey then apple brandy then aquavit barrels.
- The series was a gift from my friend Michael.
My good friend Michael bought me the Short Path Migration series as a gift. They began with their London Dry Gin and then aged it in a variety of barrels changing both the color and flavor as it went. Batch 3 was aged in whiskey barrels, followed by Apple Brandy barrels, followed by Aquavit barrels.
On March 24, 2022 we visited Short Path for a tasting event featuring Batches 1-3.
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gin no. 054 – Short Path Migration Batch 4
- Part of a special release of four progressive aged gin from Short Path Distillery.
- Migration 4 is London Dry Gin aged in whiskey, apple brandy, aquavit, and Summer Reserve barrels.
- The series was a gift from my friend Michael.
My good friend Michael bought me the Short Path Migration series as a gift. They began with their London Dry Gin and then aged it in a variety of barrels changing both the color and flavor as it went. Batch 4 was aged in whiskey barrels, followed by Apple Brandy barrels, followed by Aquavit barrels, followed by Summer Reserve barrels. Summer Reserve is an herbal liqueur made from the gin soaked blueberries used to produce Summer Gin.
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gin no. 107 – Captain’s Orchard
- Captain’s Orchard is the result of a partnership between Gordon’s Fine Wine and Short Path.
- The gin flavored with fall spices and apples.
- I bought my bottle at Gordon’s in Waltham on March 11, 2025 and opened it the next day.
Short Path Distillery partnered with Gordon’s Fine Wine to create Captain’s Orchard Gin, sold at their stores in Waltham and Watertown. The bird on the bottle, Short Path’s signature design, is a cigar-smoking owl wearing a captain’s hat in honor of Gordon’s Patriarch Rick Gordon. It’s priced at $36.99 and I bought my bottle at their Main Street store in Waltham on March 11, 2025.
I opened the bottle the next day and tried it first in a Martinez, a classic cocktail made of gin, sweet vermouth, and a little maraschino liqueur. It was actually my fist Martinez, and it was amazing. This flavorful navy strength gin, at 114 proof, stands up to the sweet vermouth making a very balanced cocktail.
Short Path based Captain’s Orchard on their Autumn gin, adding most notably apple cider to a botanical list which features juniper, coriander, cinnamon, clove, galangal root, and citrus peel. When sipped neat, the apple comes through, playing nicely with the fall spices. Despite the 57% ABV it drinks nicely on its own.
Finally, I tried it as a traditional gin and tonic. This gin is better suited for a more complex cocktail or maybe it just needs a different garnish than a squirt of lime, a cinnamon stick and a dehydrated apple.
Overall, I really like this gin. The blend of apple cider and fall spices is enjoyable neat, but the high proof makes it ideal for crafting some fun cocktails. I look forward to playing around with it. I might even go buy a second bottle, because this one might not last long.
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gin no. 110 – Pink Gin
- Pink Gin is a limited release, special edition from Short Path Distillery
- They only produced 75 bottles, all of which were sold June 7, 2025
- The botanicals include strawberry, clove, and green tea.
I can’t really pass up the chance to add another bottle of Short Path to my collection, so when they announced a new, specialty series gin, I knew I wanted to get it. They only made seventy-five bottles and released them at their Summer Sipper Party on June 7, 2025. I made sure I was there when they opened because I didn’t want to get left out. I might not have needed to get there at noon, but the gin didn’t make it through the afternoon. They were all out before 5:00 pm.
Pink Gin is made with juniper, strawberry, clove, vanilla, lemongrass, rosemary, and green tea. It has, as you would expect from the name, a pink hue to it, probably from the strawberries. I first tried it neat and it was wonderful. There is a lot going on, but the strawberry, lemongrass, and clove all came through. I also tried it in three different cocktails, starting with the Pink Cadillac: pink gin, lemon, pineapple blueberry mint shrub, and tonic water. After that I did a traditional gin and tonic. And last I substituted it into the Raspberry Lime Rickey, normally with Acadia Gin as well as raspberry, lime, and soda water.
For some reason, I don’t think tonic (my absolute favorite gin mixer) gets along that well with Pink Gin. I greatly preferred the Rickey to the other two cocktails and at home I mixed it with some lemon seltzer and liked it more than the gin and tonic. I only have one bottle and I can’t get another, but I might play around and see what cocktails it’s built for. I’m thinking even a martini might be the way to go.
Pink Gin is bottled at 86 proof and was an expensive gin at $45 a bottle, but I don’t mind. I’m glad I got to add this one to my collection and I’m looking forward to more specialty series gin. Hopefully you will be able to read those below soon.
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gin no. 112 – Kappy’s Summah
- Short Path partnered with Kappy’s to make a special edition summer-themed gin.
- It’s made with watermelon and mango.
- I took a ride to Fitchburg and got the last bottle they had there on 7/12/25.
At this point I will buy any gin Short Path makes and I’ll drive just about anywhere to get it. I knew ahead of time that they were partnering with Kappy’s to make a watermelon gin, so I was anxiously awaiting its release. They only made 216 bottles and I saw a post that they were running out. On July 12, 2025, I urgently drove out to Fitchburg to try to get a bottle. They only had one left. I got it.
I paid $34.99 for the bottle. It’s the 11th different Short Path gin I’ve added to the collection. We opened it that night. The flavor is mango forward with earthy notes. It’s 85 proof and drinkable neat, but best in a gin and tonic. Overall it’s a really cool gin.
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Concord Culinary Lyceum 
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