We are inspired by fables, lead by curiosity, resulting in unexpected destinations and distillations. This approach of exploring botanicals beyond conventional avenues allows us to explore our own craft witha greater sense of uniqueness, innovation, and thoughtful evaluation to bring truly exceptional distillates to life. It also keeps us within the bounds of our mystical foundations that is the Illusionist Dry Gin. It humbles us as we are taken to places that are otherwise unassuming but boil down to giving us experiences and insights into the craft that are unequivocally important. And so, in every bottle, you can expect to uncover a sliver of our identity — a curious journey, always against the grain, always unexpected.
The Four Thieves Vinegar made a truly compelling tale for us to uncover, as the nature of this tale revolves around the ingenuity and creative us of botanicals by four cons throughout the pest period in Europe. It was their creation of an uncanny concoction we had to discover the origins of.
The Distiller's Edition 2023 is a celebration of the technicolour terroir and cultural tapestry of the south of France. Dive into the sun-kissed, vibrant fields undulating into the horizon in miraculous symmetry and experience a sensory journey guided by verbena, lavender, and calamus root - delicate heroes dancing harmoniously to orchestrate a precious distillate.
We were lured in by this intriguing far north region, of harsh winters, and dense green summers, of vast forests among arctic blue waterfalls. The tempestuous, stormy ocean crashes on its coastline of steep cliffs and glacial remnants of fjords. Mountains so steep, not even the best of climbers have claimed title to them. Its evergreen forests ridden with ancient tales, of eery silence and mysterious life. Norway.
A blend of flora from where you least expect savoury, exotic and complex botanicals to flourish. Native moss, meadowsweet, spruce and blackthorn blossoms. These survivors of the harshest conditions transport exceptional aroma and flavour defining this 2022 rendition.
This year marked the beginning of a new era of exploring our own craft, of refining our skills and to find new unexpected distillates.
We didn't want to limit ourselves to the conventional botanical world for inspiration; instead, we sought new avenues - fables. The folklore of our past is brimming with captivating stories of herbal remedies for various ailments and magical properties. This served as our cue to expand the mystical universe of the Illusionist, leading us to discover unexpected botanicals, approached in ways seldom explored before. This year's edition focused around fig, mate, hibiscus and kaffir lime.