Gin de Mahon

Xoriguer Gin de Mahón is one of the most historically significant gins in the world, produced in the port town of Mahón on the Balearic island of Menorca since around 1750. It holds a Denominación de Origen, one of only a handful of gins anywhere to carry a protected geographic designation. Distilled by the Pons family in a nearly 300-year-old wood-fired copper pot still, this is craft that predates the word. What sets Mahón apart begins with the base spirit: rather than grain, it is distilled from wine made with Xarel-lo and Parellada grapes from Penedès, the same varieties used in Cava. The grape base lends a roundness and faint vinous warmth no grain gin can replicate. The juniper berries are stored in open crates at the harbor's edge for up to four years, absorbing sea salt air that concentrates their flavor and introduces a subtle salinity unique to this gin. The nose is deeply aromatic, with lemongrass, cedar, fresh flowers, and bold juniper. The palate opens with forward juniper, softening through Mediterranean herbs, lemon zest, and quiet spice, before revealing that silky, slightly saline mid-palate character that defines the style. The finish is long and warming, balanced by a bright, clean freshness. Drink it the way Menorcans do, mixed with cloudy lemonade in the local drink called a pomada, or simply with tonic. The signature green caneca bottle, modeled on the stoneware jugs Mahón Gin first shipped in, is one of the most recognizable vessels in the spirits world.