The first organic gin to be produced in the Iberian Peninsula is now flowing from a company in the Alentejo which uses organic ingredients and hand craftsmanship.
The 3Bicos company is carving a niche in the huge gin market from a factory on the outskirts of Évora. The business is known for its production of liqueurs made with organic local ingredients but the addition of gin to its list has inflamed the desires of Algarve-based expats - and pilgrimages already have started.
"All the ingredients are organic," says spokesman Joao Monteiro, stating that the herbs and the grains used for the production of the spirit "are biologically certified."
The gin production process "is done by hand" and uses barrels for the fermentation of malted cereals and then traditional coppers for distilling the gin.
"A single machine fills the bottles," and everythig else "is handmade, even corking the bottles is by hand," commented Monteiro.
The selling point for the gin is the biological certification of the ingredients making the appeal "healthy and fashionable, and will differentiate this gin form the many thousands of gins scattered throughout the world."
"It is the first organic Portuguese gin, a first for the Iberian Peninsula and only the sixth such gin in the world. After fermentation there are three distillations with the addition of the essences in the still. These herbs are all organic. The gin base is juniper berry but the recipe includes many other ingredients."
Thus ‘Templus’ was born, the name a tribute to the Roman Temple of Évora. The company's goal is to bring this Alentejo gin to all parts of the world but always in small amounts so as to maintain quality.
The 3Bicos company is also trialling the production of vodka for another company, and may have a go at the first Portuguese whiskey.
