Gray Wolf Timber (Sassafras Finish) Gin 750ml

Gray Wolf Timber Sassafras Finish Gin comes from Gray Wolf Craft Distilling, a boutique operation founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team R.B. Wolfensberger and Meghan Brown. Rather than building a standalone facility, Gray Wolf operates as a distillery within a distillery, sharing space and equipment with Lyon Distilling Company, Maryland's well-known rum producer, on the state's Eastern Shore in Saint Michaels. The two teams collaborate closely while keeping distinct portfolios, and Timber represents Gray Wolf's expansion beyond its original vodka into a more experimental style of American gin.

The gin starts from a base of one hundred percent locally grown malted barley, mashed, fermented, and distilled entirely by hand. The botanicals, juniper berries, lemon and orange peel, cardamom, peppercorn, rose hips, hibiscus, and elderflower, are introduced through vapor infusion rather than direct maceration. After distillation, the spirit rests on sassafras wood staves, an unusual finishing step that sets it apart from typical barrel-aged or unaged gins, and it is bottled at 45.5 percent alcohol by volume.

The result is a clean, crisp spirit with an herbal, earthy character running underneath. Floral notes from the rose hips, hibiscus, and elderflower balance a peppery bite, while the citrus peel keeps the profile bright. The sassafras staves leave their mark most clearly on the finish, adding a distinctive, slightly tingling quality that lingers after the initial floral and pepper notes fade.