FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 26 OF 80
LA REPUBLICA, La Paz, Bolivia
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
I am loving this tour of my collection and sharing these stories with you all every day. Having to cover so much ground and research so many different gins means I don't always have time to connect with every brand, even though I would love to. It is simply impossible, so most of the time I disappear down my own research rabbit holes and plod along with my desk research!
However, I was incredibly grateful to Anahi and Daniel at La República, who recently offered me an amazing Zoom tour of their distillery in La Paz, followed by a chat afterwards to make sure I had all my facts right. I feel incredibly privileged to have had that opportunity, and I came away even more impressed by this brand than I was before.
There are very few gin distilleries that can claim to be producing at such extraordinary heights. La Paz is the world's highest capital city, sitting at around 3,600m above sea level, so I think it is safe to say they are certainly one of the highest gin distilleries in the world.
But how does this affect distillation?
At altitude, the lower atmospheric pressure affects the boiling points of water and alcohol, meaning distillation takes place at a lower temperature than at sea level. This allows for a gentler process, helping the distillers carefully separate the different parts of the distillate and keep only the best section—the hearts.
This is similar in principle to vacuum distillation, where lowering pressure also lowers boiling points. The aim is always the same: to protect the delicate flavours and aromas extracted from the botanicals.
It all starts with the base spirit. La República are incredibly particular about theirs and work with 1825 Vodka, who produce and rectify their sugar cane spirit locally. Even after this process, the team still make generous cuts to ensure only the best quality spirit goes into their gin. Heads are reused as cleaning products and remaining tails are treated before disposal.
Every stage is carefully considered. From sourcing ingredients through to distillation, bottling and labelling, the team control the whole process themselves at their La Paz distillery.
The two minds behind this incredible gin are Bolivian-born Daniel Lonsdale and Catalan Joan Carbó. Before they met, Daniel was working in the family business, while Joan, a keen distiller and student of oenology, had followed his girlfriend back to La Paz and fallen in love with Bolivia and its incredible botanicals.
Together, they shared a dream—to create unique spirits that captured the essence of Bolivia and celebrated the country's incredible biodiversity.
Daniel's family already had a long history in the drinks industry. His grandfather, Jorge Lonsdale, produced some of Bolivia's early gin and whisky, although using imported botanicals. Daniel wanted to follow in those footsteps, but create something completely different: an Andean gin that was proudly Bolivian.
The collaboration was a perfect fit. With Daniel's family heritage and Joan's passion for distilling, they used their combined knowledge, energy and savings to create their first spirit, a spicy brandy called Supay. This impressed a friend enough to invest in the business, giving them the opportunity to purchase their first still from Europe.
It was not without challenges though—their beloved still caught fire during their first distillation! But after overcoming those early hurdles, they launched their first expression, Andina, in 2014.
As the name suggests, Andina captures the essence of the Andes. Juniper is balanced with local botanicals to create a gin that is distinctly Bolivian, rather than trying to replicate a European style.
Inspired by the smells and atmosphere of the jungle, their second expression, Amazónica, was created to transport you deep into the rainforest.
The botanicals are carefully selected through a complex supply chain, working with local communities and indigenous groups to source ingredients as sustainably as possible. Amongst these are cacao, açaí and three different types of bark found deep in the rainforest, each connected with local traditions and mythology.
The botanicals arrive at the distillery from the heart of the jungle, often still carrying the moisture of their natural environment, before being dried and prepared for distillation.
La República use two 450 litre copper stills, named Llama and Jaguar. Andina is distilled in Llama, while Amazónica is distilled in Jaguar. The botanicals are macerated before distillation, with the process taking around eight hours. Seasonal fruits are preserved so they can continue producing throughout the year.
Together with Diego Nicolini, a prominent Peruvian pisco producer and vineyard owner who joined the business around 2017, the company has continued to expand its range.
Alongside their gins, they also produce Yerbasanta vermouth and other botanical spirits.
Their head office and distillery are located in a residential area of La Paz. It is a colourful building, with incredible graffiti murals throughout the exterior and courtyard, reflecting the origins of the brand and paying homage to the Llama, Jaguar and the surrounding Cordillera Real.
The mountains are also part of their story through the glacial water they use in production, connecting the gin directly to the landscape that surrounds them.
Even the bottle has been carefully designed to tell a story.
The pattern is not simply decorative—it represents the
Chacana, or Andean Cross. This ancient symbol acts as a compass and calendar, with the four points representing the stars of the Southern Cross.
“Giddy heights, ancient botanicals and the spirit of Bolivia.”
The three stars on the crest represent the three levels of existence, but also the three people behind the business.
The condor represents the Andes, the jaguar represents the Amazon and the mountains represent the Cordillera Real.
Look closely and you will even find a mountain hidden within the lettering of La República.
This is exactly the kind of detail I love discovering about brands. The things you don't always notice at first, but once you understand the story behind them, the bottle becomes much more than just a bottle.
I was told I had to serve up the most popular cocktail made with Amazónica—the GinJam.
GinJam
45ml La República Amazónica Gin
45ml hibiscus infusion
30ml simple syrup
15ml lemon juice
Top with soda water
I substituted a little with the syrup from my jar of hibiscus flowers, and it was delicious. What struck me most was that the gin was not lost in this cocktail, as so often happens. The Amazonian botanicals still shone through beautifully.
La República is a gin that truly captures a sense of place. From the dizzying heights of the Andes to the depths of the Amazon rainforest, every sip tells the story of Bolivia.
Muchas gracias to Daniel and Anahi for sharing your time, your knowledge and your incredible gin journey with me.
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."