Driftwood - Donkey Jack

The founders of Driftwood Distillery , Hannah and Tim, were several years ago visiting an old friend in the US, where they enjoyed a lot of delicious martinis while talking about opening their own distillery. The friend, who was a sheep farmer, said that he had just added a donkey named Jack to his flock of sheep in the hope that a donkey would protect the flock from attacks by the ferocious coyotes. It had been a great success - Jack the donkey had become the hero of the sheep flock.

The more martinis drunk, the better the name Donkey Jack sounded, and Hannah and Tim ended up naming one of their gins after the protective American donkey. "Donkey Jack is the protector and is based on our personal experience. He is a celebration of life's heroes," explains Hannah.

The gin was originally intended to be produced exclusively from local botanicals, but after several trials Hannah and Tim agreed to select the ingredients based on quality rather than origin.

They ended up with a mix of juniper, coriander, nutmeg, cardamom, lemon, orange peel and angelica root. The juniper berries are allowed to rest in the neutral alcohol overnight, and the next morning the rest of the ingredients are hung into the still, where the evaporation process causes the liquid to absorb the flavor. The result is a softer flavor profile with a fresh kick of citrus.

• Contents: 50 cl
• Strength: 45% alc./vol.