By Malin Norman for Scanmagazine
Founded from a love of refreshing gins, Tohi Distillery is known for its bold rye-based gins, flavoured with handpicked berries and a mix of herbs and spices.
Tohi Distillery was established some eight years ago by experienced restaurateur Priit Palk together with his friends Tormi Tamm and Siim Markus. The trio found Tohisoo, an old distillery building just 30 kilometres from Tallinn, and their journey in producing highly acclaimed best gins began.
These days, Estonia has around 15 small distilleries, and Tohi Distillery is the second largest with a portfolio of four award-winning gins. “From the start, our aim has been to create gins that are unconventional, of the highest quality and with heaps of local character,” says Palk, who is also the master distiller. “Tohi gin is not handcrafted, it’s heartcrafted. We leave a piece of our hearts in each of the gin batches distilled.”
The distillery’s first gin, and still the bestseller, was Tohi Cloudberry Mist Gin. The backbone is organic rye spirit and the gin incorporates handpicked cloudberries, cardamon, orange peel and immortelle flower, which attributes to the yellow hue. The cloudberry gin has received numerous awards, including Best Estonian Contemporary Gin at the World Gin Awards. “It certainly stands out amongst other gins, with intense aromas and flavours of the wild forests,” smiles Palk.
