Monkey 47 And How It Came To Be...

Scarcely any other spirit has changed so dynamically and continued to develop over the past three centuries. Originating in medieval monasteries, where archaically distilled alcohol was flavoured with juniper berries to mask its inferior quality and taste, Dutch "Genever", which had initially been marketed as a medicine by a resourceful physician, gradually spread as far as England, where it evolved to become the ubiquitous people's drug of the "Gin Craze" in the 18th century.

History of Gin

The global spice trade, access to oriental and Asian spices and continuously developing distillation techniques brought about a sustained improvement in the quality of gin. With the discovery of quinine as a form of malaria prevention and the introduction of "tonic water", gin acquired its key significance as an important basis for a variety of cocktails and long drinks. Today, at the start of the 21st century, gin is on everyone's lips the world over – as the pinnacle of the art of distillation and a secret passion of bartenders. Following centuries of changing tastes and dynamic transformation, the history of gin has now taken on a whole new dimension.

The Founding Legend

The great British tradition of London Dry Gin is united with the spices of India and the raw, unspoiled nature of the Black Forest. According to the founding tale, Montgomery “Monty” Collins, son of a British diplomat, was born in the British Indian province of Madras and made a career as Wing Commander in the British Air Force. The tale tells that love draws Collins to an isolated valley in the Black Forest, where he supposedly takes over the "Wild Monkey" guesthouse. Here, he is said to becomes acquainted with the great Black Forest tradition of distilling fruit and – out of a longing for his own British passions – reportedly develops a special gin.

A Gin from Germany ?

And what's more, from the Black Forest, which has always been known more for its fruit brandies and cuckoo clocks than for Britain's national drink? Well, actually, it's not as strange as it might seem. In the strictest sense, a gin is a combination of spirits distilled from herbs and fruits. And nowhere else in the world will you find the wealth of distilling expertise and centuries of experience that there is in southern Germany. This is where the world's most renowned distillers work, and where traditional coppersmiths build the best distilleries. Access to fresh ingredients of the highest quality is virtually unlimited, and the regional water sourced from deep sandstone springs is one of the softest and mildest waters in Europe. So it seems perfectly logical since the prerequisites for a premium gin from the Black Forest were already in place.

The Recipe

So the idea came to life, as the Black Forest Distillers transformed it into a Schwarzwald Dry Gin rooted in the tale of Montgomery Collins – a masterful spirit with floral notes; the freshness of tangy citrus fruits; a clear juniper tone; a peppery, spicy mouthfeel; and a subtle hint of lingonberries to give it that certain je ne sais quoi. All meticulously selected ingredients are distilled using well-honed artisanal techniques and married with the soft regional water. Its name says it all: Exactly 47 different botanicals have found their way into the "Monkey 47" recipe. A recipe that is naturally a carefully guarded secret.

The Maceration

Doing things by hand is a matter of honour – which is why MONKEY 47 contains only meticulously selected ingredients. The peels of lemons and grapefruits, as well as a complex mix of dried botanicals and spices, are carefully added to the macerate prior to distillation. Following meticulous sensory inspection, all ingredients are distilled using well-honed artisanal techniques and regional water before being stored in traditional earthenware vessels for maturation. The production process is complicated, comprising a combination of maceration – that is, steeping herbal ingredients in a mixture of highly rectified, molasses-based ethyl alcohol and water – as well as distillation, percolation, and oxidation.

The Distillation

Translated for the layperson, Black Forest Distillers uses specially designed Carter-Head stills to extract the essences of botanicals, boil them, and gather the resulting alcoholic vapours through condensation before allowing the product to mature. Percolation, or steam extraction, enables the master distiller to single out and highlight specific flavours within the distillate’s olfactory profile and intensify the subtler elements {such as floral notes}, which then serve as a counterpoint to the more dominant components. As time-consuming as it sounds, it’s this technique that allows the delicate, floral notes of MONKEY 47’s aroma to survive the distillation process. Through oxidation and approximately 100 days of storage in earthenware vessels, the distillate develops the unparalleled suppleness and balance that make MONKEY 47 one of life’s great pleasures, both in a cocktail or all on its own. The extraordinary quality of the regional water deserves another special mention here: With its low levels of salt and other minerals, this water is the perfect complement to all types of distillates – but especially to the Monkey. Apart from a coarse filtration process involving a sheet filter, MONKEY 47 is left entirely unfiltered to preserve its full range of unique and complex aromas.

The Bottle

A great deal of care and attention to detail have gone into the Monkey’s classic good looks, as well. The MONKEY 47 bottle, which is custom-made for Black Forest Distillers, represents the rebirth of an old pharmacy decanter founder Alexander Stein discovered while out walking with his son. The decision to use brown pharmaceutical glass was taken purely out of concern for quality rather than appearance, however, as it protects precious contents from harmful UV rays. Finally, MONKEY 47’s hand-drawn label is a story unto itself. Like a stamp from the Victorian era, it depicts episodes from the legend of Montgomery Collins and subtly hints at the use of regional ingredients. To keep a proper seal on the Monkey’s antics, Black Forest Distillers top off each bottle with a natural, renewable resource: cork. Procuring it takes us all the way to Portugal. The corks that adorn MONKEY 47’s distinctive brown bottles are made exclusively from high-grade raw material, which offers the perfect combination of preservation and oxidation thanks in particular to the extremely low number of pits and pores it contains. Providing the finishing touch is another bit of custom work – a metal ring that marks the Monkey as a true species rara.

Cheers!