Black Forest
The inspiration for the Gin with the monkey in the logo, which is bottled in an old-fashioned apothecary bottle, goes back to the Royal Air Force Commander Montgomery Collins. In post-war Berlin, he took over the sponsorship of the monkey Max and later produced Gin in the Black Forest.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Germany | |
| 8.451254 48.386387 | |
| Active | |
| 2010 | |
| Alexander Stein, Christoph Keller | |
| https://monkey47.com/ |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
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The Gin
Monkey 47 Gin is distilled in small batches. As you can guess from the name, it contains 47 botanicals, including juniper, coriander, sage, spruce shoots and cranberries from the Black Forest. The Monkey Gin matures in traditional stone jars, unlike most Gins, which are stored in glass balloons.
The Sloe Gin from the Black Forest distillery also contains the 47 botanicals. It is additionally macerated with fresh, hand-picked sloes from the Black Forest.
Another Gin in the portfolio is the Barrel Cut, which is only produced a few times a year. It is matured in handmade mulberry wood casks that have been lightly toasted beforehand.
The Production
One third of the Gin ingredients come from the region. The juniper berries, however, which do not get enough sun in the Black Forest, are imported from Croatia and Tuscany. Together with the other botanicals and very soft spring water from the Black Forest, they are prepared to make Monkey 47.
During maceration, the botanicals rest in the alcohol for 36 hours. The mixture is then distilled. Four copper column stills are used, each holding 150 litres and bearing the names of famous monkeys from film and science: King Louie, Cheetah, Mr Nielsson and Miss Baker.
The History
The idea for Monkey Gin goes back to an old story. Commander Montgomery 'Monty' Collins of the Royal Air Force was posted to Berlin in July 1945. After the end of the war, he campaigned for the reconstruction of the Berlin zoos, where he took on a sponsorship for Max, the monkey. When Collins left the Royal Air Force, he moved to the northern Black Forest and opened the country inn 'Zum wilden Affen' As a British gentleman and the son of a diplomat in East Asia, he did not want to miss out on a good glass of Gin. So, he started making it himself and, in keeping with his biography, developed the first Black Forest Gin from regional and exotic ingredients.
After hearing this story, the former Nokia manager Alexander Stein was enthusiastic about the idea of producing his own Black Forest Gin to breathe new life into the old recipe. Thus, after two years of tinkering, he started the success story of Monkey 47 together with distiller Christoph Keller in 2010. The first edition limited to 2,000 bottles of Gin was sold out very soon. And in 2013, 150,000 bottles were already purchased.
Convinced of the brand's continued success, Pernod Ricard Germany took over the majority shares of Monkey 47 in 2016. In the meantime, Black Forest Gin belongs entirely to Pernod Ricard.
The Visitor Centre
The Black Forest distillery offers two-hour guided tours in German or English at the Schaberhof, which must be booked online in advance. The entrance fee includes a Monkey Tonic, a voucher that can be redeemed in the shop and, of course, the opportunity to taste the Gin.
Black Forest Distillers GmbH
Äusserer Vogelsberg 7
72290 Loßburg/24-Höfe
Email: info@monkey47.com
User Notes about the Distillery
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