Sangfroid Distilling is currently selling barrel-aged gin, bringing one of the hottest new offerings in craft spirits to Maryland.

While spirits like whiskey are typically aged to bring out their flavors, gin relies on botanicals added during the distilling process.

That’s been helpful for Sangfroid, which opened in December and won’t have whiskey or apple brandies to sell until later this year but has been selling its Dutch-style gin from the start.

The barrel-aged gin splits the difference. After being produced from grain to bottle in their facility, they put the gin in a charred oak barrel through the winter, a much shorter time than most aged spirits.

“The result is something similar to a whiskey, with deep notes of sweet caramel and a hint of juniper and coriander on the nose,” co-owners Nate Groenendyk and Jeff Harner noted recently.

Barrel-aged gin has become quite popular among craft distillers, who often experiment with older styles of production. (Barrel-aging was more common with genever, the Dutch-style that Sangfroid uses.) Bartenders recommend trying it straight or using it to make a Manhattan or an Old-Fashioned.

The barrel-aged gin is a limited release, and Groenendyk said they are already experimenting with locally grown mulberries to see if they can produce a mulberry brandy.

Located at 5130 Baltimore Ave., Sangfroid is open for tours and visits to its tasting room from 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends.