Hayman's Old Tom Gin. New version of the old-style gin, Old Tom was a predecessor of the now-ubiquitous London Dry style. Early gin was sweetened to hide harsh impurities. Folklore has it that Old Tom gin would be served through a hole in the wall under a wooden plaque of a black cat (hence the name). The customer would put his coin in the cat's mouth and receive a shot of gin through a tube between its paws.