The story starts with a monkey named Max, a retired RAF officer and a guesthouse deep in the Black Forest. Decades later, when renovation workers found a hand-labelled bottle hidden in the building, a gin legend was rediscovered.
Expert's description
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin is a German Gin distilled from 47 botanicals in the Black Forest and bottled at 47%.
After World War II, RAF officer Montgomery Collins settled in the Black Forest, where he ran the guesthouse "The Wild Monkey," named after Max, a monkey he had sponsored at Berlin Zoo. There he distilled his own Schwarzwald Dry Gin until the guesthouse closed in the 1970s.
Decades later, a hand-labelled bottle and a note with Collins's botanical notes were found hidden in the building. This inspired Alex Stein and Christoph Keller to recreate the recipe as Monkey 47.
The 47 botanicals combine British gin traditions, Indian spices and local Black Forest plants, including spruce shoots, lingonberries, sloe berries, elderflower and bramble leaves.
Tasting notes
Nose
The nose is complex and woody with spruce shoots and berries, spiced with a light peppery warmth.
Palate
The palate is intense and layered with juniper, citrus and berry sweetness, backed by spices from India.
Finish
The finish is long and spiced, with a last trace of lingonberry and spruce.
Specifications
Name: Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin
Country: Germany
Type: Dry Gin
ABV: 47%
Size: 50 CL
EAN no.: 42213277
Serving suggestion: Gin & Tonic with a slice of red apple or rosemary
Distillery: Monkey 47
Flavour profile
Complex · Woody · Spiced · Berry · Intense
Did you know?
The name Monkey 47 refers to Max, the monkey Montgomery Collins sponsored at Berlin Zoo, and to the 47 botanicals the gin is distilled from.
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