WORDS by KATE BLACK | IMAGES SUPPLIED by ELEPHANT GIN
There are so many of us in the world that readily confess to a deep love for gin and tonic.
What, then, if one could harness this collective passion, the world over, and turn it into something good? And by good, I don’t mean the simple act of savouring this delicious drink – I’m talking something much bigger.
The best laid plans
Robin Gerlach and Tessa Wienker travelled through Africa in 2011 and thought exactly this. Their experiences in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa – climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and exploring other wild places, as well as working in wildlife conservation – triggered a deep appreciation for African wildlife and a strong resolve to conserve it for future generations.
This realisation, combined with the couple’s shared passion for gin, formed the best-laid plans to create what is today a premium-quality, handcrafted spirit called Elephant Gin.
Capturing Africa’s spirit
Joined by fellow gin-lover and friend, Henry Palmer, the trio experimented with rare and exotic African botanical ingredients and, interestingly, fresh apples from an orchard surrounding their distillery.
Founders Henry Palmer, Tessa Wienker and Robin Gerlach in the Elephant Gin distillery.
They succeeded in crafting a novel and superb London Dry Gin with 45% alcohol and 14 wild and wonderful botanicals brimming from every bottle. African Wormwood, Buchu and Baobab are just a few of the intriguing ingredients that give the gin its floral, fruity and spicy flavour.
Elephant Gin is distilled using 14 botanicals, some of which are rare African ingredients from across the continent.
The first step to changing the world…
This is where the picture gets bigger. Every year, more than 35 000 elephants are killed due to poaching and the illegal ivory trade.
In an effort to help combat this, Elephant Gin contributes 15% of all its profits to two exceptional African elephant foundations: Big Life Foundation, an anti-poaching organisation which protects two million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem of East Africa, and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Co-founder Tessa explains, “As well as actively supporting the foundations devoted to the conservation of wildlife, we hope to raise wider awareness and involve more people directly. We believe that the first step to changing the world is to have the right spirit.”
Enjoying an Elephant G&T with One Ton and Tom, two of the elephants that Big Life Foundation protects.
Inspired by Africa, handmade in Germany
Elephant Gin is artisanally distilled and bottled in Hamburg, Germany. Remarkably, each and every bottle is custom-made, sealed with natural string and cork, a hand-written label, and embossed with a crest. What’s even more wonderful is that each batch is named after a particular great tusker or elephant that Elephant Gin’s partners are helping to protect.
Elephant Gin is currently sold in Europe, Australia and parts of East Asia. If you’re a gin aficionado and it’s not yet available on your patch of Earth, rest assured that the team is working on growing their footprint as part of their mission to make a meaningful impact.
To discover more about the wonderful world of Elephant Gin, visit www.elephant-gin.com.
P.S. Did you know? The average elephant trunk holds 6 litres – enough to make 120 G&T’s!
