Distilling & Production

In the former chapel of Vilanova i la Geltrú stands a purpose-built still made from Florentine flasks. These are copper pot stills fitted with attached condenser heads, run in 250-liter batches. The base alcohol is neutral grain spirit, as required by EU spirits regulation for gin. It brings no flavor of its own, so that the botanicals alone determine the aroma.

What makes the distillery in Vilanova i la Geltrú unusual is the separation of the nine botanicals during maceration. Juniper, coriander, cardamom, and the two peels steep apart from olive, rosemary, thyme, and basil. Each group macerates in its own alcohol before passing individually through the still. Only after distillation are the separate distillates combined into a single gin.

Maceration times vary considerably. Orange and lemon peel stay in alcohol for around 40 days, so that the essential oils dissolve completely. Olive, rosemary, thyme, and basil, by contrast, macerate for only a few hours. Any longer, and these delicate herbs would release bitter, grassy notes that would make the gin unpleasant.

A vapor basket, as used in Carterhead stills, isn't used here. All the botanicals sit directly in the alcohol of the pot still, macerated in the classic way and distilled together rather than merely infused by vapor. This produces bolder, oilier aromas, exactly what the olive and the region's herbs need to hold their own against the juniper.

The final step is a one-shot process. No concentrate is prepared for later dilution, instead each batch yields Gin Mare ready to drink straightaway. It's then adjusted to 42.7% ABV. This strength sits above the legal minimum and was chosen in Vilanova i la Geltrú so that the olive and herbs don't get lost on the palate.