Local, heart, excellence and handmade are the key words that encapsulate the quintessence of Peter in Florence, a micro-distillery founded in 2017 in Tuscany and specialising in the production of gin.
Local, first of all, because the botanicals used are grown and harvested by hand within Podere Castellare di Pelago, in the Tuscan hills, where the company is based. Then the heart ‘at the core of who we are. We are incredibly passionate and dedicated to our art and the artisanal distillation of liqueurs,' reads the company website. Excellence, from an operational point of view, means that the company focuses on continuous improvement through constant commitment and embracing innovation. To achieve high quality production, Peter in Florence's gin is made by hand in small batches: the distillation, filling, encapsulation and labelling of each bottle is done by hand to ensure the best quality. This is all done using a traditional steam infusion distillation method, with a reduced version of the historic Carter Head still, which has produced some of the world's best gins.
From England to Tuscany
The birth of Peter in Florence bears the signature of entrepreneur Patrick Hoffer of English origin but transplanted to Florence: passionate about gin, when he discovered that the best juniper berries in the world come from Tuscany he decided to venture into the field of distillery. The company's name is a tribute to his father Peter, also a gin enthusiast and lover of Tuscany. Having fallen in love with this region after the war, Mr Hoffer bought a mill between Siena and Florence and moved with his family to the Chianti hills, bringing Patrick up among the beauty and nature of Tuscany. And it is nature that provides the backdrop for the distillery in the splendid setting of Podere Castellago, owned by Patrizio Pandolfi, Patrick Hoffer's partner and friend. In the 35 hectares lying on the gentle slopes of the Tuscan hills, the main ingredients for making gin are cultivated, first and foremost juniper berries and iris.
The range of Gin
Peter in Florence, the gin of elegance
A London Dry gin that embodies typical Italian elegance, class and style: leatherette label, hand-stitched, fourteen all-Tuscan botanicals, including the iris flower, symbol of Florence, and the famous Tuscan juniper, sought-after throughout the world. Intense and heady in its predominantly floral fragrances - including iris petals, rosemary, lavender and cardamom - enriched by rounded citrus notes of coriander, bergamot and lemon: a mix of scents that are also found in the mouth.
Peter in Navy, the "strenght" gin
Long before it was possible to measure the volume of alcohol in a drink, the British Royal Navy relied on a simple test: dip a few grains of gunpowder into gin and set them on fire. If the powder was still flammable after the experiment, the gin could be safely transported aboard warships. Since then, it has been customary to define Navy Strength as a gin with an alcohol content of more than 57%, like Peter in the Navy, which balances the high alcohol content with the freshness of its botanicals. On the nose, the strong notes of juniper and a very intense harmony of nine botanicals stand out, in which the balsamic, sweet and camphorated parts of juniper emerge. In the mouth, it is delicate with a very long and delicate "aftertaste".
The spring edition
A limited edition whose main ingredients are chamomile and saffron, strictly made in Tuscany. Distilled using eleven botanicals, this gin has characteristic floral notes of chamomile, iris and rosemary. The addition of an infusion of saffron then gives it a pleasant bright yellow colour. A gin that sings the praises of the scent of Tuscan spring with its soft hints of chamomile and saffron and distinct notes of balsam and juniper. Fullness and roundness emerge on the palate, with floral accents, citrus freshness and the sweet, spicy flavour of saffron.
