African-made Procera Gin is proud to continue its celebration of the terroir of Africa with the release of Green Dot 2023 Vintage.
Like others in the Procera portfolio, Green Dot is crafted from fresh – never dried – equatorial juniper berries. However, Procera Green Dot 2023 Vintage is the ultimate expression of juniper terroir as it is crafted only from the berries, foliage and wood of a single tree.
Each year during the harvest, the berries are brought to the distillery, and the region providing the best tasting berries is judged to be the best. For the 2023 harvest, the best tasting berries – which contained a unique intensity – were found in Narok county located at 0°51’27.0″S 36°01’16.0″E. The berries in that forest were tasted and a single tree identified as producing the best of the best. The luscious juniper berries together with some of the leaves and wood from a branch were carefully harvested by hand and became the sole botanical input for Procera Green Dot 2023 Vintage. A single vintage from a single tree. The gin was immediately distilled to preserve the ultimate freshness. Only 2,023 bottles will be available across the globe (672 are earmarked for the US).
“Dried berries may be fine for other gins, but we are driven by a love of freshness and a respect for the complex flavors that only the ripest berries can provide. The use of fresh juniper turns Procera into a terroir spirit,” said Co-Founder Guy Brennan. “The 2023 Vintage of Green Dot is crafted from a single tree to create distinctive and balanced notes with a creamy and buttery palate. This is undoubtedly the best gin we’ve ever created.”
Founded in 2018, Procera Gins are crafted from a sugar cane base and get their distinctive flavor (and name) from Juniperus Procera — a juniper variety that is indigenous to the highlands of Kenya where it grows wild at an altitude of 2,200 meters, bathed in the equatorial sun. The Juniperus Procera tree only grows at altitudes higher than one mile above sea level, helping its berries to develop distinctive nutty and savory characteristics. This in turn makes Procera ideal as a high-end sipping gin or for use in classic, spirit-focused cocktails. The forest in Narok county sits at an altitude of 2,600 meters meaning that the berries ripen even more slowly, enhancing their delicious flavor. This is the first harvest sourced from Narok county.
Procera is distilled in a bespoke Muller 230L Aromat pot still by Master Distiller Roger Jorgensen, the unofficial godfather of craft distilling in Africa. Unlike most gins, which cook all ingredients at a high temperature in the pot during distillation, the botanicals used in Procera Gins are placed in a pillowcase and steeped in the base spirit at a warm maceration temperature of 104°F (40°C). This extracts the essential oils and natural fresh flavors without over cooking them. The organic matter is then removed before the still is turned on which allows the botanicals to be tasted, but not dominated by over-cooked flavors.
In the United States, Procera Gins are available at retailers in New York, Georgia and Massachusetts and online.
Suggested serve: Classic Dry Martini which allows the single purity of the African Juniper to shine through.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Procera Green Dot, frozen
- Premium dry vermouth
- Lemon twist
Preparation:
- Rinse a frozen martini glass with dry vermouth, discard the contents.
- Add Procera Green Dot directly from the freezer.
- Express the lemon zest into the gin and wipe around the rim before adding to the glass. Enjoy!
