FIRST JOURNEYS - EASTERN EUROPEAN EXPEDITION- PIN 14 OF 17
BROKEN BONES GIN, Slovenia
A ROAD TRIP WHERE EVERY STOP HAS A STORY
An unlikely combination of three people from very different backgrounds, a whisky obsession that came first, Slovenian ingredients, and a name that came from two unfortunate accidents.
Some gin names make you curious. Others make you stop, look twice and wonder what on earth happened. Broken Bones falls firmly into the second category.
Broken Bones is the creation of three Slovenian founders — Boštjan Marušič, Borut Osojnik and Polona Preskar. Behind the rather dramatic name is a story that is almost too good not to tell.
In 2012, Boštjan and Borut set out to create a Slovenian whisky that could stand alongside the great Scottish whiskies. Then, in 2016, while they were still developing their distillery, things took a rather unfortunate turn. Within a week, Boštjan slipped on a wet floor while working with the whisky and broke his leg, while Borut subsequently broke his nose while playing mini-golf with his children.
When you're trying to name a distillery, it's difficult to imagine a more memorable piece of inspiration. Broken Bones was born.
Polona later joined the two friends, bringing her marketing experience and enthusiasm for the growing craft gin movement. Gin became part of the plan, and after more than a hundred trials, their first London Dry was finally ready.
The bottle and packaging are every bit as memorable as the name. Rather than going down the predictable route of pretty botanicals and pastoral landscapes, Broken Bones embraces its darker side. The presentation box features striking skeletal imagery intertwined with botanicals. It's macabre without being gloomy, and elegant without taking itself too seriously.
It also makes the packaging feel like part of the story rather than simply something to protect the bottle.
Broken Bones uses Slovenian juniper and rosehip from the Karst region, alongside botanicals including linden flowers, coriander, cardamom, angelica, liquorice and lemon zest. The result is a London Dry with a distinctly Slovenian connection.
Broken Bones was never intended to be an imitation of something made elsewhere. The founders wanted to create spirits that could put Slovenia on the map for whisky and gin.
The original ambition remains whisky. Years of experimentation went into developing their whisky, including fermentation, distillation and maturation in carefully selected barrels. Gin simply became another way for the distillery to explore what Slovenia could produce.
The range has since expanded beyond the original London Dry, including Navy Strength, Old Tom, Sloe and other limited releases, alongside their whiskies. They've also picked up a string of international awards for both their gin and whisky, adding some serious recognition to the rather playful brand.
Broken Bones is based in Ljubljana's Vič district, where the distillery combines production with a showroom and shop. If you happen to be passing, you can book experiences and tastings, making it possible to see where the rather unusual story behind the bottle actually began.
A gin from the land of birch, folklore and Green George
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."
