Gin Infused with Elephant Poop

The premise is simple, yet brilliant: elephants eat a vast variety of plants, but digest only about a third of them. So why not pass on those flavors to drinkers by mixing the essence of that poop into alcohol?

Put your hand down. That's a rhetorical question.

Les and Paula Ansley of Mossel Bay, South Africa believe that the value of Indlovu Gin lies in its close ties to nature. That's surely the reason why, when they collect elephant poop for their distillery, they use bare hands. The Associated Press tells their story:

They described the gin’s flavor as “lovely, wooded, almost spicy, earthy” and one that changes subtly with the seasons and location.
The gin bottles are marked with the date and coordinates of where the elephant dung was collected. “So, you’re able to compare almost different vintages of the gin,” Ansley said.
After about five sizeable bags of dung are collected for a batch of 3,000 to 4,000 bottles of the gin, the droppings are dried and crumbled, then washed to remove dirt and sand. Eventually only the remains of the fruits, flowers, leaves and bark eaten by the elephants are left behind.

Nature is amazing.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Ibhu


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Well thank you John! This was a great idea! I ordered a bottle to share with my salespeople after the weekly meeting. And of course I told them the whole story after they tried it :) great gin with of course plenty of herbal tones !!!
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From their website:"We felt that it was important that the brand is underpinned by a strong conservation message. So 15% of the profits from the sale of Indlovu gin will be donated to the Africa Foundation to support their work in wildlife conservation at Phinda Game Reserve."
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