Enzo is a winemaker from the city of Vespa - Pontedera, near Pisa, and his family produces organic wine in Montepulciano, known for producing some of the best Tuscan Sangiovese. Val Tiberina, not far from Montepulciano, is famous for tobacco production and producing the best Juniper in the world, a base ingredient for gin. Ginepraio was born right there, in the south of Tuscany. Enzo and Fabio's friendship began in 2010 during the Wine Business Master in Florence and is sealed in spirit with the first launch of the OLD SAILOR COFFEE. They initially thought it was a crazy idea because neither of them knew anything about the world of bars and liquors. Still, the desire to create something unique overcame any doubts or hesitation.

What has your distilling career been like? Tell us a little about your background.

Although we do not distill (that’s the role of our Master Distiller), we are the creators of our product recipes that are the fruit of our long-lived passion for spirits. While none of us comes from the spirit industry, we’ve been visiting Northern Italy with all its distilleries since a young age.

How do you think the Spirits industry has evolved?

We believe that the Spirits Industry is a very dynamic industry in continuous development, constantly changing in front of our eyes, making us discover new horizons and possibilities. 

Tell us a little about your day-to-day role.

Together with the marketing and communication team, we spend our days monitoring the market, keeping in touch with our friends and partners within the industry, researching and creating new product recipes, and building our brand stronger. 

Image: Ginepraio Organic Tuscan Dry Gin 

What's your elevator pitch to a bartender when pitching your brand? 

Today the industry is so saturated with Gin that it seems difficult to differentiate in the market. However, every time we share the story of our meticulous research, sustainable approach, and study of raw materials, they recognise and value our passion and determination. As for now, we have analysed different juniper terroir and the organoleptic expression of different junipers and have chosen three different ones that make the base of all of our Gin - 1 juniper from the Tuscan coast, one from the Chianti area, and one from the Valtiberina hillside, all of which are adding specific characteristics to our products. 

How do you help bartenders with depletions of your brand? 

We encourage bartenders to learn and experiment, so we have created, together with amphora-making company Drunk Turtle, a 5 lt cocciopesto amphora for cocktail aging. This helps bartenders not only understand our products better but helps them to create something unique. 

What do you cover in your product training with bartenders? 

We explain our brand and how the company was created, our values and beliefs, but mostly, we discuss the importance of the raw materials we use in our Gin, showcasing the particularities and differences between different junipers, followed by cocktail Master Classes created by our Brand Ambassadors. 

Image: Ginepraio London Dry Gin 

How do you think a distiller can help drive marketing and sales personally?

Just opening the door to the distillery. 

Define a good distiller.

A good distiller is someone whose passion and almost maniacal obsession with quality go hand in hand with the will to experiment. 

Which is your go-to drink, and what is the perfect setting you enjoy it in?

Martini before dinner while sailing towards sunset.

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What do you do when you are not distilling?

I think of what to create next. 

What is your idea of a good life?

A good life is a life where all the things we enjoy are in great balance. 

Header Image: Ginepraio creators Fabio Mascaretti and Enzo Brini