All is calm. Absolute silence in a beautiful setting of deep forests, crystal-clear streams and gentle hills. A pleasant, resinous scent of Douglas fir fills the air. Every now and then there is a small rustling noise. Occasional voices can be heard. A group of people is walking through the forest in Lohr am Main in Spessart. They are collecting pine needles, checking them, smelling them, picking them. These are four young men – Markus Skrobanek, Jonas Völker, Fabian Kreser and Stefan Blum – together with their guests. They are collecting ingredients from the forest for their award-winning gin – “Snow White”.
This well-known fairy-tale character is not just on the label of their distillery products, but is also indirectly reflected in the flavour. “We named our gin after Snow White because the fairy-tale character is the hallmark of our homeland of Spessart,” explains Markus Skrobanek. “Since we set out to produce a native product, it was obvious to us that we wanted to name it after our homeland.” For their gin the four only use regional products: Spring water and needles from the Douglas firs in the forest as well as apples from their parents’ orchards. As a result each glass contains pure Spessart nature.
However, the gin does not just taste of the homeland, but also illustrates its provenance on the label. One look at the fairy-tale mirror on the bottle shows the seven dwarfs at work. “They are collecting the ingredients for Snow White’s beauty drink in the forest. On the way to the distillery, they are watched by the animals of the forest. The story is framed by decorations created by my father for a handrail in the family home,” comments Markus Skrobanek.
