Ansley is looking for first-class elephant droppings in the South African wilderness. When he finds one, he lifts it to his nose to soak up its complex aroma. If he is satisfied with the sample, he will store it in a bag for later use in gin production.
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Indlovu Gin was launched in 2018. Its name comes from Zulu, where Indlovu means elephant. During the covid-19 pandemic, sales of this luxury gin spread to the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Taiwan. Les Ansley and his wife Paula now produce 1,500 bottles of gin for export each month. Since the beginning of this year, it has also been bought by the two largest retail chains in South Africa: Woolworths and Pick ‘n’ Pay.
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According to Ansley, the main work is done by elephants, as they choose the herbs and fruits that give gin its specific taste. According to the distiller, elephants are great helpers because they are very picky. In addition, food passes through their digestive system quickly, has few intestinal bacteria and spends only a small part of what they eat.
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“It’s up to them to choose the best leaves, the best fruits, the best flowers and the best plants,” Ansley said.
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Like the basic ingredients of gin, such as juniper and citrus, the dried and washed herbal ingredients from elephant dung vary with the season and climate, which is reflected in the taste differences of the different batches. The coordinates of the manure collection point are given on the bottles.
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About five large bags of feces are needed to produce 3,000 to 4,000 bottles of gin. It is first dried and crushed and then washed to remove dirt and sand. In the end, only undigested fruit, flowers, leaves and bark remains. These are sterilized and dried again. Eventually, the residues are leached in the gin.
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Mr. and Mrs. Ansley give 15 percent of the profits from the sale of gin to the orphanage, which is one of the reasons why their gin is popular with customers.
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And how does gin made with elephant dung ingredients taste? “He’s earthy,” bartender Johana Jones remarked as she squeezed the orange into the gin as she prepared the cocktail. “That’s why he’s different,” she added.
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