. condense the flowers and plants of the Schwarzwald into a bottle.
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The Monkey 47 distillery is not so big.
The distillery is located in the middle of the forest and there is no wi-fi connection, so you can have a digital detox," the guide jokingly told me as we headed to Schwarzwald, located in the southwestern part of Germany. The distillery is located about 90 minutes by car from the nearest airport, Stuttgart Airport, in a vast forest with a total area of approximately 5,180 square kilometers.
This land is rich in resources such as fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices, and is dotted with about 20,000 distilleries, making it one of the most technologically advanced distilling regions in the world. The creation of the recipe for Monkey 47 began with the desire to create a gin that would bring out the best of the region's charms.
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The road leading from the airport to the distillery. The trees growing beside the road are more black than green.
What I am curious about is the origin of the name Schwarzwald (which means "black forest" in Japanese). The forest is supposed to be green, but why is it black? The reason is that the leaves of the spruce coniferous trees that cover most of the Schwarzwald are dark green, so even in sunlight, the forest is dimly lit. Indeed, when you walk through the forest during the daytime, the thickly wooded areas appear black. The spruce leaves, which are part of Schwarzwald's identity, are one of the botanicals used in Monkey 47.
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. the label of Monkey 47 Dry Gin is also inscribed "SCHWARZWALD DRY GIN."
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The view from the distillery. Monkey 47 gin is made in a spacious and natural setting.
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In front of the distillery, hot gin, not hot wine, was served.
The main attraction of Monkey 47 is its fresh, perfume-like aroma, which is hard to believe that it is alcohol. Strangely enough, when you stand in the Schwarzwald and smell the leaves and earth, the refreshing, yet gorgeous aroma of the gin blends with the outside air, making you feel as if you are drinking the very air of the Schwarzwald. It's like drinking the very air of Schwarzwald itself. And it's no wonder. Monkey 47 contains 47 botanicals, one third of which are from the Schwarzwald. These botanicals are blended with natural spring water from the Schwarzwald, which is known as "the softest, mellower water in Europe.
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The first distillation process begins with soaking the lingonberries, the source of the soft aroma, in the spirit.
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After the lingonberries are added, botanicals such as juniper berries, blackberries, elderflower, peppermint, and coriander are added to the spirit.
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Each ingredient is carefully selected and organic fruits are used.
The most distinctive feature of "Monkey 47" is that it is soaked in fresh lemon and grapefruit peel. . This gives it a fresh aroma not found in other gins. After that, it is matured in china for 3 months and carefully produced.