Slovenian Gin & Distilleries
On This Page: Slovenian Gin and Distillery directory, reviews and tasting notes, distillery tours in Slovenia, interviews with Slovenian distillers, and industry insights with Polona Preskar of Broken Bones Distillery in Ljubljana.
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Slovenia has a long history of distilling fruit spirits such as Slivovka (plum brandy), as well as growing and distilling Juniper. The spirit Brinjevec, with its name derived from the word 'Brin' meaning Juniper, is made from ground and fermented juniper and was traditionally a medicinal drink. Although Gin has not traditionally been distilled in Slovenia, following on from a craft beer revolution in the country there is now a craft gin revolution that is gaining momentum with a growing number of distillers and with bars and restaurants rapidly adding gin to their menus and back bars.
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Slovenian Gin Reviews - A to Z
Broken Bones Gin (Ljubljana)
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Broken Bones Distillery was launched in 2016 by Bostjan Marusic, Borut Osojnik and Polona Preskar - friends with extensive experience in the wine, brewing and whisky industries. The 'Broken Bones' name was born when Borut and Bostjan both broke bones in the same week in 2016 while filling whisky barrels.
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Zlumak Craft Gin (Spognja Idrija)
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Zlumak Distillery was established in 2021 by Uros Stucin. Uros began learning about distillation and experimented with methods and botanicals during the Covid-19 lockdown, finally creating the recipe of 17 botanicals that continues to be used in Zlumak Craft Gin today.
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For more Slovenian Gins try:
- Aufbix Gin, Berryshka Gin, Brin Gin, Karacter 'Imagine' Gin, Monologue Gin, One Key Gin, Petriot Gin
SLOVENIAN GIN FACT!
- In 2021, Broken Bones Old Tom Gin from Ljubljana was the highest scoring gin in Europe in The Gin Guide Awards and named 'Best in Europe 2021'. The distillery was named 'Distillery of the Year 2022' in The Gin Guide Awards and has also been a Winner with their London Dry Gin, Ljubljana Dragon Gin and Navy Strength Gin, making them one of the most awarded distilleries in the world.
Distilleries & Tours in Slovenia
A small number of distilleries in Slovenia are open to visitors for tours and tastings which make for the ideal experience for gin lovers living in or visiting Slovenia - find them on our Slovenian Distillery Map:
- 1. Berryshka Distillery - Čokoladnica
- 2. Broken Bones Distillery - Ljubljana
Meet the Makers
Get to know some of Slovenia's finest gin creators and distillers in our 'Meet the Maker' interviews. Find out what inspired them and how they created and launched their gin, how it's made, what botanicals are used, what you can experience if you visit their distilleries, how best to serve their gins and what they have planned for the future:
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Behind the Scenes
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While on a visit to Slovenia's capital of Ljubljana, Anna Bones - gin judge, gin event host, and founder of Gintuition - visited The Gin Guide Awards 'Distillery of the Year 2022', Broken Bones Distillery, and reported back for The Gin Guide with insights and more about what visitors can experience.
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The Inside Scoop: Industry Insights
We caught up with Polona Preskar - Co-Founder of Broken Bones in Ljubljana - to find out what makes Slovenian Gin special and how the industry has grown in recent years:
What is Slovenia's history with spirits and distilling?
Traditionally, the majority of farmers had a still to distil fruits that we usually have in abundance. With regards to an industrial scale of distilling, we have a few producers that mainly make spirits of lower price and quality. In the past ten years, new life has come to the spirits business, one that followed the craft beer boom. There are now over twenty gin producers, another whisky producer and many fruit based spirits producers that distil high quality spirits.
How has the Slovenian Gin industry developed in recent years?
In 2018, when we offered our first gin to the market, there were five contemporary gin producers in Slovenia. At the end of 2019 there were fifteen, and now we have about twenty contemporary gin producers. The industry is still very young but there are interesting gins are being produced. Since 2020 we also have a local gin awards that offer an arena for all local gin producers to get feedback on their spirits. So the development has been fast and we now have a wider variety of gins - not only based on the taste and aroma, but also on quality.
What makes Slovenian Gin different or special?
The tradition of 'craft' distilling that was part of practically every farm was passed down from generation to generation. So we have substantial knowledge about traditional distilling that is combined with the know-how of others and often also using local ingredients to produce excellent spirits. Our curiosity and drive to explore have already produced some champion gins - like Broken Bones Old Tom Gin.
What's next for the gin industry in Slovenia?
Surviving through covid has proven that we are here to stay! There are more of us and we produce better spirits as we go. We do hope to put Slovenia on the map of excellent contemporary gin producers of the world. That should be done by participation in international events, winning awards and exploring what local and not so local botanicals can bring into our already excellent gins. We are sure there are many more surprises to come from us all.
What is Slovenia's history with spirits and distilling?
Traditionally, the majority of farmers had a still to distil fruits that we usually have in abundance. With regards to an industrial scale of distilling, we have a few producers that mainly make spirits of lower price and quality. In the past ten years, new life has come to the spirits business, one that followed the craft beer boom. There are now over twenty gin producers, another whisky producer and many fruit based spirits producers that distil high quality spirits.
How has the Slovenian Gin industry developed in recent years?
In 2018, when we offered our first gin to the market, there were five contemporary gin producers in Slovenia. At the end of 2019 there were fifteen, and now we have about twenty contemporary gin producers. The industry is still very young but there are interesting gins are being produced. Since 2020 we also have a local gin awards that offer an arena for all local gin producers to get feedback on their spirits. So the development has been fast and we now have a wider variety of gins - not only based on the taste and aroma, but also on quality.
What makes Slovenian Gin different or special?
The tradition of 'craft' distilling that was part of practically every farm was passed down from generation to generation. So we have substantial knowledge about traditional distilling that is combined with the know-how of others and often also using local ingredients to produce excellent spirits. Our curiosity and drive to explore have already produced some champion gins - like Broken Bones Old Tom Gin.
What's next for the gin industry in Slovenia?
Surviving through covid has proven that we are here to stay! There are more of us and we produce better spirits as we go. We do hope to put Slovenia on the map of excellent contemporary gin producers of the world. That should be done by participation in international events, winning awards and exploring what local and not so local botanicals can bring into our already excellent gins. We are sure there are many more surprises to come from us all.
