Fläschepost presents: Broken Bones Gin

Broken Bones was born

When in 2012 Borut Osojnik called his cousin Boštjan Marušič and proposed they make a whiskey together, they had no idea where this will bring them. Their aim was to develop a Slovene whiskey that could match best Scottish Single Malt Whiskies, but with a Slovenian twist. Joined with gin aficionado Polona Preskar they set off to explore still styles, recopies and started to develop spirits. They wanted to combine the knowledge from their family tradition of producing wine, beer, and spirits with modern distilling techniques, and pushing the boundaries with both whiskey and gin recopies. Until 2016, the distillery was ‘no-name’ as many ideas were considered, but none was just right. Broken Bones was the name, that suggested itself after Boštjan broke his leg while distilling whiskey and Borut his nose just a few days later.

The 3 co-founders from left to right: **Boštjan Marušič** CEO, **Borut Osojnik** Master Distiller, **Polona Preskar** Sales & Marketing

It’s Gin’o clock!

So, the name was there, but it took them until 2018 to present our first spirit to the public – Broken Bones London Dry Gin. It is fresh juniper with subtle citrusy character and a bit spicy due to added coriander and cardamom. It is excellent in G&T, Tom Collins, or in Martini or any other cocktail. While trying to even enhance the flavor, they’ve realized the only way to do it is to increase the alcohol level in order to keep the gin clear. So the second gin – Broken Bones Navy Strength Gin – with enhanced botanicals was developed. It has intensive flavor and aroma, 57% alcohol, but it is still dangerously smooth. Excellent neat or in serious cocktails – Army and Navy, Negroni… Broken Bones Ljubljana Dragon Gin joined the two gins in 2019. This gin ties Broken Bones with Ljubljana as it has a dragon that is in Ljubljana’s emblem, both in the name and in the label. As dragons are fiery, so is our Ljubljana Dragon Gin as ginger was added. Combined with ginger ale or ginger beer it develops its full, fresh aroma in an excellent summer cocktail such as Gin Gin Mule. In the first half of 2020, they’ve had more time to finalize two more spirits due to the corona lockdown. So Broken Bones Old Tom Gin, sweetened with linden honey joined our portfolio. The sweet honey aftertaste is long-lasting and excellent in a G&T or a fizz. The second gin was Broken Bones Sloe Gin, a Sloe gin with Broken Bones twist. It contains 31,5% of alcohol (usually 22-24%), and very little sugar is added (usually a lot), so it is a unique sloe meant to be enjoyed neat with an ice cube. So you can fully appreciate the aroma of rosehip, plum and bitter almond, and the rich taste of plums.

International awards

All but the youngest one have already collected awards in international competitions, winning Best at the World Gin Awards in both 2019 and 2020 by London Dry, Winner Navy Strength 2019 for our Navy Strength, Best European Gin 2020 for London Dry, and Highly Commended 2020 for Ljubljana Dragon Gin in The Gin Guide Awards. Broken Bones Old Tom Gin was the highest rated gin in the first Slovene competition Gin Brin 2020, with a score of 95 points! This year is very important for Broken Bones distillery also as it finally launched Broken Bones Single Malt Whisky – on 13th July, 4 years to the day after the breaking day that its name was created. Presented in only 66 numbered, signed bottles, 50 intended for sales, it is a bit of a collector’s item.

from left to right: Broken Bones Navy Strength, Broken Bones London Dry, Broken Bones Ljubljana Dragon

Even though still very young, it is smooth, complex, and elegant, with distinctive, full, and floral flavor. However, this is only the beginning of the Broken Bones distillery. The curiosity, experience, and drive of the 3 co-founders is the key driver in developing new, exciting spirits. So be prepared for more surprises in the coming years, may it be Gin, Whisky, or some other spirits like vermouth…