- The Sentinel keeps proving to be a world-class gin
- The Sentinel gin previously won a silver medal at International Wine & Spirit Competition Awards
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
The country’s first distillery in the Okavango Delta, Okavango Gin, is celebrating yet another milestone as its foundation gin, “The Sentinel,” was recently awarded a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Well known as one of the world’s most prestigious and largest spirits competitions, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is noted for the quality of its judges who come together from around the world to blindly taste and select the best spirits in the world based on their expertise.
“We are beyond ecstatic. A double gold means the panel of judges all gave our gin a gold award. The Sentinel keeps proving to be a world-class gin,” the team said on their page.
“Tasting notes from the judges – Aromatic fresh zesty citrus scented juniper laced nose. Orange oil and lime cordial enhance a beautifully balanced, dry palate tinged with resinous green wooded notes. Sweet, evolved, classical.”
The distillery’s first gin is created from local botanicals using the pure Okavango water and an age-old distillation technique crafted out in nature. The star ingredient of the gin is the mophane seed from the Colophospermum – mophane or the mophane tree that grows vastly in the northeastern parts of Botswana.
Okavango Gin then decided to use the local botanical seed that has identical compounds to the Juniper Berry called Alpha-Pinene and Limonene as the core ingredient for the gin. The match allowed for a very harmonious synergy in making a delicious contemporary gin with a rustic African charm.
“Our core ingredient is something we discovered by chance,” a spokesperson of the distillery said. “The mophane seed has trace elements of the same sort found in Juniper, the core of all gins. This unique and bold African flair has given our gin its signature flavour.
“Crafted to celebrate the sunset, the Sentinel is a gin with a unique, bold but equally as palatable profile, giving you an uncomplicated refined and defined recipe.”
After re-branding their gin label last year, Okavango Gin settled for a design that was similar to the Kalahari San (Bushman) paintings in Botswana as it gave their brand a traditional feel. The Sentinel gin has also previously won a silver medal at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) Awards.