Petriot gin as a homage to beautiful Slovenian landscape
Fans of gin will from now on have a chance to enjoy in the new Slovenian gin, produced in the micro distillery Petriot. The first in the series of gins is called Green George and it pays homage to the Bela krajina landscape. The Green George gin is special in its combination of aromatic and Bela krajina-specific botanicals: birch water, rosehip, chamomile and yarrow. Each new series of gins, starting with the Bela krajina series, will represent a homage to the Slovenian landscape, its heritage, and tradition.
It is no coincidence that the inspiration for the first series of the Petriot gin was Bela krajina. It is the local tradition that on Saint George’s day, a popular spring holiday in Slovenia, celebrations are held, since according to folk tradition, Saint George is considered the patron of spring, abundance, happiness and joy. This tradition is present in the Green George gin in the form of local botanicals, especially birch water, reveals of the folk custom that guided him in developing a Bela krajina gin, Jurij Petruna, the founder of the Petriot micro distillery.
Gin flavours will express local landscape characteristics
The special nature of the Petriot gin lies in the local, natural and ecologically produced botanicals. “We add spices from various Slovenian landscapes to the carefully selected juniper berries from the Slovenian Karst, and in this way arrive at original blend of flavours,” explains Petruna, originally from Bela krajina, but who has been living and working in Ljubljana for years now, and where he has also established his micro distillery of authentic gin.
Green George of the Bela krajina gin series will be followed by a series called Lepa Anka. This is yet another recognizable character from the Bela krajina folklore and the kolo dance, a collective folk dance found only in Bela krajina. Let the aromas that will enrich Lepa Anka remain a secret, but without a doubt, the botanicals will be meticulously selected, and blend of flavours will be again original, we are promised by Petruna. “All gins from the Petriot distillery are created with those in mind, who cherish authenticity and wish to taste original flavours of a Slovenian gin. We want the people to take a moment and enjoy in the aroma, smell and taste of the first gin from Bela krajina,” adds the founder of the Petriot micro distillery.
Slovenia will be internationally recognized also through gin
The development of a new flavour of gin takes several months, explains Petruna, and adds that the entire gin production process, from selection of raw material, weighing, to packaging, is done manually, and only the distillation process is automated, since this is how the quality of gin is guaranteed. Everything else in the gin production process is a matter of exploration and creativity, says Petruna, an IT professional by education and an enthusiastic self-taught in the field of gin. After years of research of the production process, tasting of different aromas and botanicals blends, the decision of opening his own Petriot distillery was quite simple.
In it, Petruna wished to first and foremost produce an authentic Slovenian gin of unique flavours, through which the one-of-a-kind Slovenian landscape would be brought closer to foreigners. Later, they plan to include in their offer also other products that are characteristic of the Slovenian environment. “In the long-term we strive to export and design a recognizable brand, famous for the quality of its products and local authenticity,” declares the founder Jurij Petruna on future plans for the Petriot distillery.