Nestled on the outskirts of Slovenian's beautiful capital city of Ljubljana, you’ll find the Broken Bones distillery. Launched in 2018 with their flagship London Dry Gin, Broken Bones Distillery quickly made its mark in the industry, including being named 'Distillery of The Year' in The Gin Guide Awards 2022. Like most people who discover Broken Bones Distillery, you might be wondering where the name came from. Back in 2016, while discussing a name for the distillery, both founders Borut and Bostjan required hospital treatment - Bostjan broke his leg whilst filling whisky barrels and Borut broke his nose. After these unfortunate incidents the name selection felt obvious and Broken Bones was born.
The distillery itself is small but perfectly formed. It has enough production space for whisky and gin, and a bar and shop. The production area is separated only by mesh, so visitors can easily see what is happening in the production area whilst enjoying tastings of the gin. The group tours are small and personal, and ours was led by Bostjan. The experience allows you to try the whole family of Broken Bones gins - all served in stunning handmade crystal glasses, custom made by premium glass company Rogaska - followed by a bespoke cocktail made by Bostjan. You'll definitely want to take some of the glasses home with you!
During the tastings you'll learn all about the 10 botanicals that are used in Broken Bones London Dry Gin. The recipe includes local juniper and the distinctive regional touch is achieved with a small amount of rose hip and linden flowers from the Karst region. Even from a short stay in Slovenia you notice the distinctive aromas of rose and linden flowers everywhere, even in soaps and hotel shampoo - it was clear that this delicate florality is inherent in Slovenia. These botanicals are macerated before distillation - soaked in neutral base spirit together with coriander seeds, two varieties of cardamom, lemon peel and zest, and angelica, liquorice and orris root. The neutral grain spirit used is a sugar beet molasses-based alcohol, providing a blank canvas to create fresh and distinctive flavours in their range of gins. After distillation the gin is allowed to rest for several weeks and brought down to 45% ABV with water.
Our tasting started with Broken Bones London Dry before moving on to Broken Bones Navy Strength gin, bottled at 57% ABV and packed with strong juniper notes with a a spicy undertone. Broken Bones Ljubljana Dragon Gin is a nod to the “City of Dragons” and shares the same botanicals as their London Dry Gin, but with the addition of ginger to create a fiery edge. Broken Bones Old Tom Gin is a former 'Best in Europe' Winner in The Gin Guide Awards - this sweeter style gin features local linden honey which is added after distillation. Completing the range was Broken Bones Sloe Gin followed by Broken Bones Cloud, a lower ABV option diluted to 14.5%. And if that wasn't enough you'll then get to enjoy a cocktail of our choice, such a classic White Lady made with Broken Bones London Dry. This distillery is a charming and stylish place, with an industrial touch to its styling. Bostjan and team are welcoming and give you a unique insight into the creation of their gin and whiskies, all combined with plentiful tastings and selected signature cocktails. It really is an experience not to miss if you are in Ljubljana. AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER - ANNA BONES: Founder, Gintuition & Event Host
After developing a thirst for knowledge of all things gin, Anna began hosting gin events for Waitrose and John Lewis, as well as helping to develop and launch a 'Cocktails at Home' set during the pandemic. Anna then branched out with her business, Gintuition, sharing her passion for local and regional Gins with like-minded Gin lovers. Anna has WSET Level 2 Award in Wine & Spirits. Follow Anna on Instagram. You Might Also Like...
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