‘Dovey Native Botanical Gin’ has been granted UK Geographical Indication (UKGI) status and is the first gin in the UK to achieve this accolade. The gin is produced in the diminutive Dyfi Valley in Wales where there is currently just one tiny distillery. The distillery produces a range of gins but only one ‘Pollination’, meets the strict criteria, enabling itself to be called a ‘Dovey Native Botanical Gin PGI’.
“The valley was designated by UNESCO as a world Biosphere reserve several years ago and has a diversity of native flowers, fruits and wild herbs which is truly special” says master distiller Pete Cameron, “and we wanted to capture our surroundings in a bottle.” This was down to master blender Danny Cameron (they are brothers), whose knowledge and experience of wines and spirits earned him a knighthood whilst working in Portugal.
GIs are a form of intellectual property protection used to identify products whose qualities, characteristics and reputation are linked to the place where they have been produced or the method by which they have been produced
All ‘Dovey Native Botanical Gin’ is produced from a minimum of 17 native botanicals which are foraged in a sustainable manner from within the Dyfi/Dovey UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The flavour compounds extracted during distillation from these indigenous botanicals provide a complex blend of different and notable characteristics to the aromatic and overall flavour profile.
“Pollination Gin took us three years of trials before we found the unique blend of locally foraged botanicals which not only taste fantastic together, but also truly hold a mirror up to our remarkable landscape” explains Danny.
Pollination gin (which is a Dovey Native Botanical Gin) has won many prestigious awards (including Best British Gin) and is a favourite at many Michelin-starred restaurants fine wine and spirit merchants, as well as being available via the Dyfi Distillery itself or via its online store.
“Achieving the first UKGI for gin was never a marketing idea as we’re a genuinely artisan distillery,” reflects Danny, “but will help explain that this gin can be produced at world class level combined with genuinely regional characteristics.”
