A Gin Distillery in the Land of Pisco!
Peru always throws you curve balls but a gin distillery struck us as extremely unusual, so we had to visit. The story, people, ingredients, and production methods behind London to Lima gin are extremely interesting – the stuff tastes great too! Peruvian Pisco is well known, Peru is also home to the oldest winery in the Americas and its wine continues to improve, but Gin? Read on and discover.
There is much to talk about but the first notable thing to mention is the fact that the Peruvian national icon of Pisco is used as the base spirit. This choice, as opposed to using neutral spirit, helps carry the aromatic qualities of Pisco forward into the final product. This clearly demonstrates Alex´s dedication to quality and innovation. There are many more examples of this dedication as you will read below.
The Story Behind London to Lima Gin
Alex James is an Englishman, ex-British Army and comes from a family with a history and experience in wines and spirits. After leaving the army Alex was keen for a new challenge, wanted to work with his hands, and use his distilling knowledge to create something new. With his wife Karena being Peruvian, the stars aligned and they decided to move from London to Lima to give birth to the project.
Full details of the project can be found here
The distillery is located in a well-irrigated area of the desert coast of Peru, an hour or so drive south of the chaotic Peruvian capital, Lima. The desert here is dotted with vegetation where farmers have channeled water and conquered the sand dunes. The distillery building is surrounded by fruit and palm trees, with a nursery for new fruit tree saplings and many of the ingredients that are used in the gin come from the fields around the distillery. Upon arrival, Alex will enthusiastically explain the stages of production, explain some of the art and science, show you his (often) hand-made equipment, and lead you through a tasting of the final product.
Alex is rightly proud of the extra effort undertaken to make his London to Lima gin stand out from the crowd. For example, as many of you know, gin is 50% water and if you want to make great Gin it follows you need pure, high-quality water. So Alex looked for the purest source of water he could find and promptly went exploring in the snow-capped Andes mountains for remote glacial meltwater sources – why wouldn’t you!
He convinced an isolated community to allow him to run a pipe from the source so he could collect the water downstream in the village, eliminating the risk of contamination from animal waste. The community agreed and now benefit from clean drinking water piped directly to them. Alex regularly drives many hours up to an oxygen-starved 3800 meters above sea level and brings the water down to his distillery in his 4×4 jeep.
Nursery for the fruit tree plants which are used in this gin 
London to Lima gin bottle with still in background
The bottles are another plus. The three sizes of bottles that are used are produced from hand-carved wooden molds made by local craftsmen in the form of hip flasks. Each one is slightly different adding to the exclusivity and appeal of this high-quality gin. The glass used is from recycled sources, so good for the environment too.
Oh – we forgot to mention the small but very interesting museum which is next door, where you will have the chance to see some ancient pottery and textiles.
What is in London to Lima Gin?
So, this gin contains pure glacial meltwater, aromatic Pisco base spirit and is delivered in bespoke bottles. But what else is in there? Botanicals are what gives gin its particular aroma and taste and Alex keeps it local in the provision of these ingredients. Juniper berries obviously form the basis of the aroma and flavor profile, plus several other fruits, spices, and berries such as pink peppercorn, lime, and orange. Most of these are harvested within a stone’s throw of the stills.
The distillery website has an in-depth explanation of the botanicals so feel free to read that here.
Better than reading about it would be buying the gin to drink at home. But of course, drinking it where it is made is always the best option. This you can do with us while on a Peru Tour with us at
