THE GIN PASSPORT ATLAS - DISTILLERY STORY- PINNED ON THE MAP- EUROPE
FORA GIN DISTILLERY, ANDORRA
Some places leave an impression long before you pour the first glass. Tucked away in the Pyrenees, Fora is Andorra's first and only gin distillery, but to understand its story, you first need to leave the distillery behind.
During our visit, Soraya and John took us into the mountains that inspired their gin. Walking among wild juniper bushes and towering Scots pines, with sweeping views across the valleys, it quickly became clear that these weren't simply ingredients chosen for a recipe. They were part of the landscape, woven into Andorra's history and identity long before they ever found their way into a bottle.
Back at the distillery, every bottle is still filled, labelled and finished by hand using recycled glass. Watching each stage of the process unfold was a reminder that Fora isn't about mass production. It's about capturing a place and preserving it with care, one bottle at a time.
Walk through the mountains of Andorra and you'll quickly notice two constant companions: wild juniper clinging to rocky slopes and the scent of mountain pine drifting through the forests.
Long before either found its way into a gin bottle, these plants were part of everyday life and local belief.
Juniper branches were burned in homes, barns and sheepfolds, their aromatic smoke thought to purify the air, protect against illness and ward off bruixes—the witches of Pyrenean folklore, said to gather on lonely mountain tops and summon destructive storms.
Before leading their flocks to the high summer pastures, some shepherds would pass their sheep through the smoke of smouldering juniper, believing it would protect them from disease, wolves and the unseen spirits thought to wander the mountains.
Mountain pine earned its own quiet reverence. Its resin featured in traditional remedies, pine buds were steeped into syrups for winter coughs, and the evergreen trees became symbols of resilience in a landscape shaped by snow, wind and rock.
Around village fires, stories were told of forests inhabited by protective spirits who rewarded those who respected the mountains but delighted in confusing the proud or careless, luring them from familiar paths with drifting mist and strange echoes.
Few people today take these stories literally, yet they remain part of Andorra's cultural memory. Together, pine and juniper capture something of the country's character—wild, aromatic and deeply rooted in a landscape where nature, folklore and tradition have always been closely intertwined.
It is from this landscape that Fora takes its inspiration.
Founded by Soraya and John, the distillery grew from a simple realisation during a summer hike through the spectacular Incles Valley. Resting with a well-earned gin and tonic, they looked around at the abundance of wild juniper and native botanicals and wondered why Andorra had no gin of its own.
The idea made perfect sense.
Soraya had grown up exploring these mountains and foraging with her family, while John arrived via Seattle's thriving craft beer scene before the pair met working in television.
United by a love of gin—and more than a few gin martinis—they later trained with award-winning master distiller Matt Servini before opening Andorra's first craft gin distillery.
Rather than looking elsewhere for inspiration, they turned to the mountains that had always been there.
Wild Pyrenean juniper remains at the heart of Fora's signature gin, supported by carefully chosen alpine botanicals that evoke pine forests, high meadows and crisp mountain air.
Every pour reflects something familiar to anyone who has walked these valleys: the scent of resin after rain, herbs warmed by the summer sun and the unmistakable freshness of the Pyrenees.
For such a small country, Fora has already made a remarkable impression on the international spirits scene, collecting gold medals and recognition from some of the industry's most respected competitions.
Yet speaking with Soraya and John, it quickly became apparent that the awards are not the destination. They are simply confirmation that the landscape they love deserves to be celebrated.
Leaving the distillery, it struck me that Fora isn't simply producing gin. It's bottling a sense of place.
Every visit to a distillery reveals something different. Sometimes it's the stills, sometimes the botanicals, and sometimes it's the people whose passion brings everything together. At Fora, it was all three.
A heartfelt thank you to Soraya and John for your generosity, for sharing your story, and for taking us into the mountains that inspired it all.
It's a place—and a gin—we won't soon forget.
