Turicum

Turicum Distillery

The story of Turicum Distillery begins in June 2013, when the two current managing directors Merlin Kofler and Oliver Honegger decided during a visit to English gin distilleries to develop their own gin – a gin «us Züri für Züri», from Zurich for Zurich, that honours the unmistakable character of their home city while celebrating it beyond the city limits. Together with their friends Philip Angst and Oscar Martin, who met in 2013 at the Zurich Milchbar, they put the idea into action within two years, founded the Better Taste GmbH and brought the first bottle of Turicum Gin to market in 2015. The name Turicum refers to the Latin name of the ancient Roman settlement on which present-day Zurich was built – a deliberate reference to the deep history of the city.

The heart of Turicum Gin is its unique botanical concept, deeply rooted in Zurich itself, which unites twelve carefully selected ingredients, many of which come directly from the city. Linden blossoms are harvested from the historic lime trees of Zurich's Lindenhof, hand-picked spruce tips also come from within the city, rosehips are contributed by Oliver Honegger from his own garden, and a strictly secret «ingredient No. 3» completes the profile in a mysterious and unmistakable way. Complemented by blue juniper, coriander seeds, liquorice, Voatsperifery pepper from Madagascar and fresh citrus zests, a gin of pronounced character is produced in small batches.

The range of Turicum Distillery, the only gin distillery in the city of Zurich, encompasses today alongside the award-winning Dry Gin – honoured with double gold at the China Wine and Spirits Awards 2017 among other accolades – a wood-aged Barreled Gin with notes of vanilla and cocoa, a characterful Turicum Vodka and a Gin Cream Liqueur. With the in-house Gin Lab, where visitors can create their own gin from over 50 botanicals in three-hour workshops under expert guidance, Turicum has also created a unique meeting place for spirits enthusiasts from around the world.