Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/931490
82 / the tasting panel / january/february 2018 Our Annual Gin-uary Report Several years ago, Colin Baker, Founder and Master Distiller of the new spirits producer Loch & Union, was working at a Big Four accounting firm in Orange County. Feeling unfulfilled, he threw himself into his passion for home brew- ing and realized he'd rather devote himself to pursuing a career he loved instead. After he quit his job, Baker flew to London to learn the art of craft brewing; his studies eventually took him Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where he entered a graduate program in brewing and distilling. In Scotland, he became enamored with Scotch whisky and again followed his heart as he switched the emphasis of his master's degree to distilling. Upon returning to the States, Baker sought to realize his dream of opening his own distillery. To capture the best flavor profiles, he chose high- quality wine barrels from the Napa Valley as the focus of his barrel-aging program and decided to establish the distillery itself there as well. After all, that's where Seguin Moreau and Demptos—two of the world's most famous cooperages—are located, where the essence of countless grape varieties mature in barrels, and where an abun- dance of winemakers pioneer groundbreaking techniques. Once the site for the distillery was determined, Colin teamed up with long-time friend Matt Meyer, who met while studying together at the London School of Economics, to be co-founder and run the business-end of operations. Three more personnel additions soon followed: Two of Baker's former Heriot-Watt classmates, Jesse Saunders and Gordon Russell, joined on as Lead Distiller and Head Distiller, respectively, while Gian P. Nelson, another friend of Baker's as well as a former Marine and winemaker, was hired as Chief Distiller. As the first batches of its whisky began mel- lowing in barrels, Loch & Union concentrated on moving its first product—a world-class gin—to market. It took more than a year to develop the flavor profile with select botanicals from around the world and distill it in the company's new cooper-pot stills from CARL, the renowned German manufacturer. "We all love gin and poured an incredible amount of research into developing a fabulous recipe we could release right away, since gin requires no aging," Baker notes. "We can think of no better way to introduce the Loch & Union brand to the world than with our sublime gin." While the brand and its spirits are approachable, Loch & Union doesn't sacrifice nuance in either its flavor or production process to ensure premium quality. Baker says, "The consumers Loch & Union will appeal to know about spirits; they seek out high quality and know it when they find it. The products they buy and consume are a part of a lifestyle. On the other side, Loch & Union spirits will also appeal to the occasional spirits drinker— The New Kid on the Block: LOCH & UNION