The Aeijst distillery is operated by Wolfgang Thomann in South Styria, in the south of Austria.

Prior to beginning to produce gin, Wolfgang had already been distilling his own schnapps (brandy) for 25 years. Wolfgang is calm, measured and serious — someone for whom quality and perfectionism must come first, and who is as strongly committed to working with organic products as we are.

Located mere kilometers from Karl and Eva Schnabel's winery in Gleinstatten, the family developed a strong love for good gin and it wasn't long before they began to produce their own. The first commercial gins were made in a very small pot still in Lang and, after the fairly explosive response amongst sommeliers and restaurants, they decided to upgrade the still and move to an old winery building in St Nikolai im Sausal.

Now, a number of years later, the commitment to producing gin with 100% organic ingredients is stronger than ever and the quality is soaring.

Aeijst is a small-scale, hand-made product. Very beautiful botanicals of intense quality are macerated in pure wheat spirit before distillation and the botanicals used are:

• Juniper

• Lavender

• Coriander

• Ginger

• Orange zest

• Lemon zest

• Cardamom

• Mugwort

• Lemon Grass

The spirit is distilled to 78% ABV. and then diluted to 43.5% with water from a natural spring in Suggaritzwald. The spirit is then allowed time for elevage and maturation.

Technically (and as per EU laws) Aeijst is a London Dry Gin, but in terms of style, it’s not searingly dry; there's an intoxicating array of sweeter and more complex aromas and flavours than you might expect from a 'dry' gin. A slight bitterness offsets the fruit and the final product is succulent, aromatic, round, concentrated and very balanced.

It's good with tonic — serve with a nice dry, high-quality tonic water — no garnish is necessary. And then, it is monumental when served neat/straight up. Again, make sure the temperature is nice and cold.