FIRST JOURNEYS - EUROPEAN EXPEDITION- PIN 01 OF 40
MELIFERA GIN - Chassiron, Il d'Oleron, France
A ROAD TRIP WHERE EVERY STOP HAS A STORY
The first stop takes me to France, and in particular to the windswept shores of Île d’Oléron, home of Melifera Gin.
Located off the Atlantic coast of Charente-Maritime, Île d’Oléron is France’s largest island after Corsica. Shaped by the sea, it is a landscape of salt marshes, oyster beds, pine forests and long sandy beaches, where the rhythm of island life has always been closely connected to the ocean.
At the northern tip of the island stands the Chassiron Lighthouse, a striking landmark built in the 19th century to guide ships through the waters around Oléron. Although it was built several centuries after Eleanor of Aquitaine’s lifetime, it holds a special significance for Christophe, the creator of Melifera.
This is where he spent summer days surfing with his family and evenings looking out towards the horizon, and it was here that he knew he wanted to create his distillery. The lighthouse is represented as part of Eleanor’s seal on the bottle, connecting the spirit to the landscape that inspired it.
The island also provides a fascinating link to Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of medieval Europe’s most powerful and influential women. Born in 1122, she became Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right before becoming Queen of France and later Queen of England through her marriage to Henry II. Her vast Aquitaine lands covered much of western France, including the region surrounding Oléron, making her one of the wealthiest and most politically influential figures of the 12th century.
A patron of the arts and a central figure in medieval Europe, Eleanor travelled extensively throughout her life, from royal courts to the Crusades. Her legacy remains woven into the history, stories and folklore of the region.
The design of Melifera’s bottle captures this connection between landscape, history and legend.
Inspired by an old apothecary bottle, it is simple, elegant and timeless, with a texture reminiscent of rippling seas and windswept sand dunes. It is crowned with a ring of immortelle flowers, echoing those said to have adorned Eleanor’s crown when she married Henry II in 1152. Immortelle, meaning “everlasting”, represents endurance, wisdom and remembrance.
The bottle carries further references to Eleanor’s story. The rampant lion on the crest has two tails, representing her two royal marriages—to Louis VII of France and later Henry II of England—while the seal brings together the symbols of the woman, the island and the spirit created in her honour.
Melifera contains nine botanicals, with some elements of the recipe remaining a secret. On the nose it is soft and inviting, with sweet, earthy and herbal notes rather than the sharp alcohol character sometimes found in young spirits.
The flavour is wonderfully complex. Elderberries and immortelle bring a gentle sweetness, balanced by spice and a delicate bitterness from botanicals such as gentian and mugwort. There is a dry, clean finish that keeps the gin elegant and intriguing.
While juniper is not the dominant note, it doesn’t need to be—the botanicals create a spirit that feels connected to its Atlantic island home.
The use of immortelle is particularly meaningful, but the other botanicals also carry their own histories. Mugwort has long featured in traditional herbal practices and folklore, including associations with protection and travel—an appropriate botanical for a gin inspired by one of history’s great explorers and queens.
A gin inspired by an island, a queen and centuries of stories deserves a cocktail with a little history of its own.
For today’s cocktail, I’ve created a Red Wine Sour—a drink that links the past and present. Wine would have been familiar to Eleanor and was considered a prestigious drink of medieval courts, with wine playing an important role in trade between France and England during this period.
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."