Meet the Gin Maker: Stefan Winterling of Gin Eva Mallorca

 The GIN EVA Mallorca distillery was established by Stefan and Eva Winterling in 2012 close to the town of Llucmajor.  All the ingredients are distilled in a traditional copper pot still by Eva and Stefan, a Catalan oenologist and a German wine grower.

This handcrafted artisanal Dry Gin has a unique flavour and aroma that comes from, classic gin-botanicals like coriander and angelica, locally grown citric fruits and wild juniper berries from the dunes of Es Trenc.

Stefan says: “The flavour of our island of Mallorca comes through in every sip”.

Mallorca Reflections caught up with Stefan in Llucmajor to ask some key questions and find out more, including:

– Where did it all start?

– What’s your favourite way to serve GIN EVA?

– What exciting plans lie ahead?

Stefan Winterling: The Interview

Can you tell us the tale of GIN EVA. Where did it all start?

It started in 2010 when I was working for a winery in Pollensa where we had a still. In the beginning we were only distilling brandy, and then by chance came across a magazine where a Gin was featured which was made from grape spirit. As I had plenty of grape spirit and was fascinated in the Gin and Tonic culture of Spain I gave it a try, and then another and another until when we left the winery in 2011 we were so into Gin that we decided to buy our own still and keep going.

Where does the name GIN EVA come from?

Eva is my my wife’s name and this combined with the word Genever, a juniper-flavoured spirit from Holland and Belgium, creates a nice play on words.

What makes GIN EVA different to other gins?

We distill Gin after the London Gin method, what basicly means, that everything that is in the bottle comes out of the distillery. We use only natural botanicals, which are all macerated and distilled together. Usually London Gin is made with botanicals from around the world but our approach was to create a gin with local ingredients, such as fresh citrus and phoenician Juniper from the island. That is why we call it a Mallorca Dry Gin.

What has been the biggest highlight of your GIN EVA journey so far?

When people tell us they really like our Gin, or that GIN EVA is their favourite in their Gin Collection. It makes us feel really good.

What’s your favourite way to serve GIN EVA?

As a wet Martini – stirred over ice, using 6cl GIN EVA plus 3cl Dry Vermouth and garnished with a lemon peel.

Do you find it impossible to resist playing with other botanicals?

Yes! As we are a very small Distillery and don´t have to produce on an industrial scale, this allows us to play a little with new distillates and ingredients.

Bartenders play a big part in a gin’s success. If they support your spirit, they’ll push it. What do you do to engage with them?

Small distilleries like ours cannot compete with the big players in the industry. The big brands hire bartenders as brand ambassadors and support them financially and with product. We made a series of cocktail videos with some of the leading bars in Palma that have definitely helped our brand’s awareness.

Gin paired with food is a really interesting area – what’s the one pairing / dish that has really stood out for you?

I think spicy food, or even hamburgers go really well with a Gin and Tonic. More sophisticated, but very delicious, would be to pour a little bit of gin over a fresh oyster. I also like to marinate salmon in gin and spices.

What’s next for GIN EVA?

Eva and I have stepped back from our winemaking jobs recently. We are now totally focused on our spirits business and will have much more time for experimenting and coming up with new ideas. We are starting with some new Special Edition Gins, the first of which is a Bergamot and Orange that went on sale on 1st October 2017. We will now be creating a small range of other spirits which we intend to release in January 2018.

What 3 things would you take on a deserted island with you other than water?

My wife, wine and fire!

Thank you Stefan for your time….. Cheers!!!

Read ‘Spotlight on GIN EVA’.

For more information and to place your orders, please visit Gin Eva Mallorca.

Photography courtesy of Danyel André