Gin certainly has to be the trendiest drink around in 2020, and gin bars are sprouting up in big cities just about everywhere.. .including our fair Valletta! Special infused gins have taken the London market by storm, sweeping Prosecco off the top spot in its wake, making it the definitive alcoholic drink du jour.
ĠNIBRU is a Maltese brand of infused gin that's got people talking (and sipping!) on the local market, and, with its well-thought-out infusions of perfectly balanced blends of inspired ingredients, it makes for a true taste of Malta.
We caught up with Frank's Gentlemen's Essentials manager Andrew Abela, who is the founder and partner of ĠNIBRU, along with Alex Arrigo, Director of NM Arrigo, to find out more about his swanky product line of four gins, which we can't wait to sample with icy tonic water and pink peppercorns! Here's what he had to share with GuideMeMalta.
Hi Andrew! Well done on your gin line! What made you want to start ĠNIBRU and how did start appreciating wine and spirits?
My love for wines and spirits started when I began taking care of my family's shop. It was a world I knew nothing about. However, I soon found out that it there was so much to learn, and each wine and spirit had its own unique flavour and story. In fact, it is this individual story of each beverage that got me interested in wanting to narrate my own story about a gin that had its root in Malta's heritage.
How did the idea of ĠNIBRU come about? Who are the founders and when was it launched?
ĠNIBRU sprouted from the wish of wanting to create something that was truly unique, a so-called reflection of Malta's heritage and environment.
Once the idea was born I approached Alex Arrigo - a close friend - about the idea, since in order for it to makes sense we needed to scale up the operation in terms of the quantity produced.
Alex instantly fell in love with the idea and together with his team gave valuable input in terms of the recipes as well as the branding. The name ĠNIBRU was coined by my colleague Shawn Galea, who is a gin lover himself.
What is the making of the final product like?
The making of the final product is perhaps the most interesting part. The idea of ĠNIBRU is to create a limited run of 150 bottles per gin. Once they run out, we start creating a new recipe, and two have sold out already!
We usually start by brainstorming and seeing which local botanicals would make sense. Once we have a list we start to group each botanical in order of flavour, just like making a sauce for your pasta. In my opinion this is the most interesting part because you are trying to mentally construct a recipe of the different flavours without knowing if they really make sense.
Once we agree on two recipes we collect our botanicals and send them to our distiller in the UK. Of course we explain in detail what we are looking for, and begin with distilling in small batches. This is a process of trial and error! Once the product is up to our standards we focus on the label, and, once that is ready, we ship our gin to be sold exclusively via our outlets.
Great stuff! What has the response been so far?
Luckily enough the customer response has been fantastic. We never anticipated that an idea born a year ago would have such an appeal to our market. Keeping in mind that these are premium gins selling at 55 Euros each per bottle. It is always satisfying when you look at the shelf at the end of the day and see it empty!
What flavours are currently in the ĠNIBRU line and what botanicals are they infused with?
The first two batches were inspired by our local countryside. Summer Fruits was made out of pomegranate, prickly pears, lemon and mint. Coastal Gin is made out of rosemary, seaweed, basill and thyme.
This year's collection consisted of ĠNIBRU made with "Ta' Belludja" Apples. This is an indigenous apple found only in Malta with a very bitter taste, and another distilled with "Kafè taċ-ċikwejra", which is a local coffee made with ansieed and chicory.
They sound delightful! What are your plans moving forward?
Due to the success of our brand we are highly interested in producing another two gins for 2020!
Thanks Andrew! We look forward to trying the latest ĠNIBRU gins!