DESOLATE Gins - MARULA

Marula trees grow wild across southern Africa, and their yellow, plum-sized fruit is so loved by elephants that legend credits it with making them tipsy. DESOLATE Gins - Marula is infusedInfusionFruit or plants are steeped in the spirit to release their flavour. Done after distillation, infusion often adds colour too, and the gin can no longer be called London Dry.Glossary with marula harvested in the Outjo region of north-central Namibia, and the brand describes a tangy, refreshing gin in which marula is the star while juniper stays distinctive without being overpowering.

Citrus · Dry · Fruity

The gin comes from Copper & Coal Distillery, founded in Walvis Bay in 2017 and now based in Windhoek, which crafts small-batchSmall batchProduction in small quantities per distillation run, often in a small still. The term has no legal definition.Glossary spirits with native ingredients. The marula gin is pot distilled, and every batch is raw and unfilteredUnfiltered ginThe essential oils of the peels and plants stay in the gin: when chilled or mixed with tonic they turn it slightly cloudy, like pastis (the "louche" effect).Glossary, so small differences from one batch to the next are part of its artisanal character. A German retailer lists it at 43% ABV in 0.5 litre bottles and names Andries van Schalkwyk as master distiller.

Marula has a sweet-sour, tropical flavour that can recall guava, pineapple and citrus, with a fragrant skin. It is best known in Amarula, the cream liqueur made from the fruit, but here it meets the dry, resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary edge of juniper, which keeps the tangy fruit bright rather than creamy and gives the gin a clean, refreshing finish.

The DESOLATE range also includes Classic 7, Crystal Clear and a gin made with Namibian devil's claw, another native plant, so each bottle draws on the landscape of the country. Topped with a gentle tonic, the tangy fruit comes through, and a thin lemon wheel underlines its acidity. The gin is also worth tasting neat before adding any mixer, to find the marula on its own.