Tohi Distillery: Bold award-winning gins, heartcrafted in Estonia

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 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.

Another exciting product is Tohi Aronia Infused Gin, which is made once a year. “Aronia, or chokeberry, is a vitamin-rich super berry well-known in the Nordics,” says Palk. “The berries are picked in Estonian gardens and a group of ladies stomp the juice out with their feet, just like in historic wineries in Europe. We then mix pressed aronia berries with cardamom gin, and mature for six months. The result is quite a special, rich flavour.

In addition, the team also produces the characterful Tohi London Dry Gin spiced with ginger and Sichuan pepper, and the bold Tohi Admiral´s Reserve Navy Strength Gin with a range of herbs and spices such as liquorice and hibiscus.

This year, the distillery will release an apple brandy aged a minimum of four years in Pedro Ximénez sherry barrels, which give notes of vanilla, almond, smokiness, and dried fruit. Tohi will also launch a sweet liquor made with rowan berries. More tasty products are in the pipeline. The master distiller adds; “We love bringing new flavourful products with a local element to the market.” Tohi Distillery also offers tours and tastings for visitors who want to discover more.

Priit Palk, co-founder and master distiller.

Web: tohigin.com
Facebook: tohidistillery
Instagram: @tohi_gin