FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 79 OF 80
MELIFERA GIN, France
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
Off the shores of the Côte d'Argent, a fortress island sits proudly in the Atlantic Ocean. An island of legends, with beautiful white-sand beaches, herbaceous marshes and untamed pine forests where nature still has room to breathe.
Scattered around the sun-kissed island are small villages with old-world charm, but for a little tranquillity, head towards the sandy dunes, where bright yellow immortelle flowers and grasses scent the air. Sit for a while, watch the gentle waves wash ashore and breathe in that salty, sweet Atlantic air.
Once populated with wild beasts and game and later becoming a playground for royalty, this island also has a connection to one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages.
Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and Queen of England.
Her story is intertwined with the history and legends of the region, and like the immortelle flower, her name has certainly not faded with time.
The spirit of Eleanor lives on in Melifera, a beautiful organic gin handcrafted by Christophe and his wife Cécile. The bottle is a tribute to Eleanor — Aliénor — as well as to the island of Oléron and, of course, the immortelle flower that grows wild across its landscape.
For them, creating a gin was about nostalgia: capturing childhood memories of sandy beaches, sun-kissed faces, damp hair and salty skin. It's about appreciating nature at its finest, watching the sun disappear over the Atlantic, feeling the warmth of the sand beneath your feet and breathing in the sweet, herbaceous scent of the landscape.
And perhaps that is the perfect way to finish this virtual world tour. One last gin, one last destination and a reminder that sometimes a bottle can transport you somewhere you've never been.
À votre santé, and see you back in the UK.
"When the northeasterly wind blows..."
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."