Is it real or is it a dream? Junimperium is 3 years old!

March 6th marks three years since Junimperium Distillery first welcomed guests to Telliskivi. Since opening its doors, the gold-encrusted kingdom of junipers has been governed with expertise, discretion and passion, fulfilling the dreams and desires of every gin lover. To celebrate this time of success, we take a walk through the past and remember how we got to where we are today.

WHEN GIN STARTED TO RISE IN THE WORLD, JUNIMPERIUM FOUNDER TARVO JAANSOO’S INTEREST IN THE WORLD OF GIN WAS BORN. HE BECAME AN EXPERT WITH AN AWESOME COLLECTION WHO SEEN NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR HIMSELF IN THIS DRINK.

“I SAW THE GIN BOOM IN THE WORLD, THE DIFFERENT BOTTLES AND FLAVOURS, WHERE EVERYWHERE GIN IS BEGINNING TO BE MADE … IT’S A GREAT FIELD! WE WENT TO FAIRS, WE RESEARCHED AND DRILLED. THEN IT STARTED TO DEVELOP. I’VE ALWAYS LIKED DOING NEW THINGS – THAT’S THE DRIVING FORCE FOR ME,” HE SAYS OF HOW THE IDEA BEGAN. THE GOAL WAS TO BUILD THE FOUNDATION FOR AN AWESOME ESTONIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP GIN BRAND THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME WORLDWIDE KNOWN AND SUCCEED.

DURING THE FIRST TESTS, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE SO-CALLED NORDIC GIN, INSPIRED BY NORDIC NATURE, WOULD NOT BE COPIED. THE DESIRE WAS TO FIND A COMPLETELY UNIQUE WAY AND WRITE A UNIQUE STORY IN THE HISTORY BOOK THAT WOULD STAND OUT AND SOUND BEAUTIFUL. THE NAME OF THE GIN FACTORY – JUNIMPERIUM – Grew out of this unwritten rule. THE MOST DOMINANT TASTE NUMBER OF GIN MUST UNAFFECTLY BE JUNIPER BERRIES. JUNIPHER (JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS) IS THE KING OF THE DRINK, GIN IS ITS EMPIRE.

A RARE AMONG THEIR KINDS

TODAY, JUNIPER IS THE FOREIGN FOCUS OF JUNIMPERIUM PRODUCTS. “WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW – IF NOT THE ONLY – WHO USE FOUR DIFFERENT JUNIPERS FROM FOUR DIFFERENT REGIONS OF EUROPE. THIS GIVES OUR GINS A UNIQUE, AROMATIC AND RECOGNIZABLE JUNIPER BACKBONE,” TARVO DESCRIBES.

HE ADDS THAT THERE IS A REAL DEBATE IN THE GIN WORLD TODAY ABOUT THE ISSUE THAT MANY GINNS COULD BE JUST LIQUEURS OR OTHER DRINKS, BECAUSE JUNIPER IS SO DISTINCT IN THE TASTE. “IT HAS CAUSED A DISCUSSION AS TO WHETHER THEY ARE GIN AT ALL. BUT OUR GOAL IS STILL TO MAKE GOOD GIN … AND NOT JUST – TO MAKE THE BEST IN THE WORLD,” HE CONFIRMS IN LIGHT OF THE TOPIC.

THE FIRST DRINK FROM JUNIMPERIUM TO FIND ITS PLACE OF HONOR IN THE PRODUCT RANGE WAS BLENDED DRY GIN. “IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER TO START WITH SOME OTHER TYPES OF GIN, BUT WE WANTED TO START WITH THE OLDEST AND MOST VALUABLE IN THE WORLD – A PURE LONDON DRY TYPE OF GIN, WHICH WOULD SHOW THE QUALITY AND CLARITY OF OUR IDEAS.”

WHILE IT IS USUALLY SAID THAT THE FIRST CALF GOES OUTSIDE THE GARDEN, THIS RECIPE CREATED THREE YEARS AGO IS ON THE OTHER HAND AT JUNIMPERIUM. “I REMEMBER THAT I WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE DISTILLERY OPENED. DURING A LUNCH, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THAT JUNIPERIUM’S BLENDED DRY GIN HAD WON A GOLD MEDAL AT A PRESTIGIOUS TASTE COMPETITION IN SAN FRANCISCO. I WAS SURE IT WAS A MISTAKE. THAT THE FIRST COMPETITION, THE FIRST PRODUCT AND THE GOLD MEDAL…,” SHARES TARVO’S EMOTIONS THAT WILL REMAIN IN HIS MEMORIES. “THE FIRST RECOGNITION IS ALWAYS IN YOUR MIND. YOU REALIZE THAT THE IDEA YOU EVER HAD IN YOUR HEAD WAS FORMED INTO SOMETHING YOU CAN FEEL WITH YOUR HAND OR TALK WITH YOUR TONGUE. THAT IT WAS AS GOOD AS YOU HOPED!”

TODAY, THE JUNIMPERIUM GEN’s have had AN AWESOME NUMBER OF MEDALS IN THREE YEARS – A TOTAL OF OVER 60 MEDALS HAVE BEEN WON, MORE THAN 20 OF WHICH ARE GOLDEN.

IN ADDITION TO BLENDED DRY, SLOE GIN, THE ONLY ESTONIAN PLUM GIN, WILL CERTAINLY STAND OUT, WHICH WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE WORLD’S BEST SLOE GIN IN ITS CATEGORY IN 2021. “THE IDEA WAS TO CREATE A MORE AROMATIC, FRESHER AND LIGHTER SLOE GIN, WITH LESS SPICES. IT CAN BE CONSUMED YEAR-ROUND, NOT JUST AT CHRISTMAS. I THINK THIS DIFFERENT APPROACH ALSO BROUGHT SUCCESS,” SAYS TARVO.

“IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME THREE YEARS AGO THAT JUNIMPERIUM WOULD BECOME ONE OF THE MOST AWARDED GIN HOUSES IN EUROPE IN THE NEXT YEARS, I WOULD HAVE SAID THAT WE SHOULD STILL WAIT AND PUT THE PLATE IN,” HE SAYS, BUT ADDS THAT THE HOPE OF RECOGNITION ALWAYS REMAINED IN THE END.

“EVERY ARTIST HOPES THAT THEIR ART WILL SELL. AND IF THAT IS GIN, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT IT IS ONE-OF-A-KIND. YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE RECIPE ANYMORE – WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THIS QUALITY,” HE NOTES. TARVO IS SURE THAT IF JUNIPERIUM’S FIRST GIN HAD NOT WON ITS AWARD, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HARD TO DEVELOP THE PRODUCTS.

ULTURALLY AND FLYING FORWARD

TODAY, THE PRODUCTION AREA OF TelLISKIVI REMAINS NARROW, BUT DESPITE THE STRANGE COVID PERIOD, we HAve BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE ITS SALES AND PRODUCTION VOLUME. “PEOPLE HAVE FOUND US BOTH IN ESTONIA AND ABROAD AND APPRECIATE THE QUALITY WE PUT INTO THE BOTTLE.”

JUNIMPERIUM’S GIN CAN NOW BE PURCHASED IN MORE THAN TEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, THE MOST EXOTIC OF WHICH IS INDIA. AND IF JUNIMPERIUM WANTS THE JOURNEY TO CONTINUE, IT HAS TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION. “IT MEANS THAT SOME THINGS SHOULD BE AUTOMATED, BECAUSE HUMAN CAPACITIES HAVE LIMITS. AND AT SOME POINT, THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE A COMPLEMENT TO BRICK SPACE.”

TALKING ABOUT THE LOCATION, TARVO CONSIDERS THE JUNIMPERIUM BAR AS A VERY IMPORTANT POINT ON THIS PATH TO SUCCESS. “SINCE DAY ONE, IT HAS BEEN A BUSINESS CARD FOR OUR VISITORS. THERE IS NO BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR PRODUCTION,” HE CONFIDENTLY SAYS.

IN ADDITION TO THE BAR, JUNIMPERIUM ALSO OFFERS UNIQUE GIN FACTORY TOURS THAT GIVE PARTICIPANTS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GIN AND THE DRINK’S PRODUCTION. AT THE SAME TIME, PRACTICAL ADVICE IS ALSO OFFERED ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN COCKTAIL AND DO IT PROFESSIONALLY. THUS, AS AN ALCOHOL PRODUCER, JUNIMPERIUM HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROMOTION OF DRINK CULTURE.

“IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT ESTONIANS DRINK A LOT. WHEN A PERSON COMES ON A TOUR AND GETS AN IDEA OF WHY AND HOW, THEIR ATTITUDE CHANGES. AND DRINKING BECOME A CULTURAL ENJOYMENT OF ALCOHOL,” TARVO TALKS ABOUT FORMING THE BIGGER PICTURE.

UNIPERIUM HAS ACHIEVED MUCH MORE IN THREE YEARS THAN MANY OTHER PRODUCERS OFTEN HAVE THEIR OWN. TARVO SAYS THAT MOMENTS AND PROGRESS LIKE THIS GIVE US THE STRENGTH AND ENTHUSIASM TO CONTINUE PRODUCING THE WORLD’S BEST GIN FOR A LONG TIME TO CERTAINLY.

ALL JUNIPERIUM GINS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE STORE. TRY YOURSELF AND SEE HOW THE AWARD-WINNING DRINKS TASTE.