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PUERTO DE INDIAS
Fruit Gin with an
Andalusian Soul
Words and photography: Jose A. Muñoz
The history of this distillery begins in 1880, when an emi-
grant from northern Spain – fleeing the Carlist Wars –
utilised an underground spring to establish a factory for
aniseed liqueurs at the Brenes estate in Carmona. The
building was constructed upon the remains of ancient Ro-
man baths and the structure of an old Andalusian mill. For
decades, the small-scale industry produced anise and tra-
ditional liqueurs, becoming one of the first distilleries in the
province of Seville and an economic pillar of the area.
In 2001, this history nearly faded away. The factory, by
then in decline, was acquired by the brothers José Anto-
nio and Francisco Rodríguez, who wanted to prevent its
closure and keep the legacy of ‘Los Hermanos’ anise alive.
They came from the construction sector, but they bet on
preserving the craft. That decision would, in time, mark the
beginning of an unexpected transformation that would put
Carmona on the international gin map.
Today, the whitewashed, sun-bleached compound, filled
with fruit trees, functions as a visitor centre. It is a blend of
industrial heritage, liqueur-making tradition, and gastrono-
mic tourism. For those familiar with wineries and olive oil
mills, the narrative feels familiar: it speaks of origin, raw
materials, botanicals, mineral water, and a craft passed
down through generations.
The “Mistake” That Changed
Gin Forever
Understanding Puerto de Indias requires pausing at
the accident that led to its most famous gin. In the
early 2010s, the Rodríguez family sought to diversify
their activity by producing fruit macerations in alcohol.
Among these fruits were strawberries, which arrived
fresh from the province of Huelva. During the winter,
everything worked fine, but when temperatures rose,
the strawberries began to break down: what remai-
ned in the tanks was an alcoholic purée impossible
to sell.
Concurrently, they had recovered the recipe for a dry
gin that was produced at the distillery in the mid-20th
century. Before discarding the fruit, they decided to
mix and distil it together with the juniper. From that
improvised experiment, a pink gin was born – aro-
matic and smooth, with a character unprecedented
for its time.
In 2013, they launched a first run of just two thousand
bottles. The success surpassed all expectations. The
pink gin from Puerto de Indias not only created a new
category in the market; it propelled the distillery to
produce millions of bottles and establish itself as an
international phenomenon.
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