FIRST JOURNEYS - EASTERN EUROPEAN EXPEDITION- PIN 15 OF 17
OLD PILOTS GIN, Croatia
A ROAD TRIP WHERE EVERY STOP HAS A STORY
If ever a gin brand was destined to take flight, it was Old Pilot’s.
The story begins with two friends, Hrvoje Bušić and Tomislav Anadolac, who met as military pilot cadets at the Croatian Air Force Academy in Zadar. Their careers eventually took them in different directions — Hrvoje became a commercial pilot and flight instructor, while Tomislav moved into IT and finance — but their friendship, and their shared fascination with good spirits, remained.
In 2017 they decided to turn that passion into something of their own, founding the Zagreb micro-distillery Duh u boci — literally “Spirit in the Bottle”. The first bottle of Old Pilot’s Gin followed in July 2018.
Their original ambition was actually whisky, but the specialist equipment and investment required were beyond the young distillery's means. Gin became their “second love” and, as it turned out, a rather spectacular place to start.
The idea was never simply to make another gin. They wanted to create something genuinely Croatian, using local ingredients wherever possible. Juniper comes from Otočac, oranges from the Neretva Valley, sage from the foothills of Velebit, olive leaves from Biokovo, while lavender and other botanicals bring together Croatia's Mediterranean and continental landscapes.
The result certainly got noticed. In 2019, barely a year after the first bottle was filled, Old Pilot’s London Dry Gin won the coveted IWSC Trophy for Best London Dry Gin — effectively putting a small Zagreb distillery on the international gin map. Further gold medals followed, including at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and World Gin Awards.
Their barrel-aged gin is particularly interesting as it is matured in first-fill Croatian and then American oak. It has picked up multiple golds at the World Gin Awards and for every barrel they use, they now plant a new oak tree.
The aviation theme isn't just a clever name. The aircraft on the label represents the two founders and their past, while the whole Old Pilot’s philosophy borrows something from flying: precision, discipline, exploration and the constant search for something better. Even the brand's slogan, “Made in the skies”, keeps that connection firmly in view.
There is plenty of hands-on work behind the polished image too. The founders have said that preparation, distillation, bottling, labelling and packaging are carried out by hand, with the distinctive wax sealing becoming part of the brand's signature appearance.
Today, Duh u boci is based at Kovinska 30 in Zagreb, with Old Pilot’s having grown from those early days into a wider spirits portfolio. Alongside its gins are vodka and, more recently, Nebo whisky — bringing the founders back to the whisky ambition that started the whole journey.
Not bad for two former pilots who decided that, instead of flying off to find great spirits, they might as well make one themselves.
I've their miniature on my shelf which a lovely friend brought back from her holibobs and I really need to open this now I've done my writeup!
Two pilots made a gin!
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."
