WYDI? South African Gin Infused with Elephant Dung

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“I even touched the elephant dung, and being close to the animals are very majestic,” said one South African visitor, Elsabe Hannekom. “So having a piece of them actually feels quite good. An export of the African experience, I would say.”

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After about five sizeable bags of dung are collected for a batch of 3,000 to 4,000 bottles of the gin, the droppings are dried and crumbled, then washed to remove dirt and sand. Eventually only the remains of the fruits, flowers, leaves and bark eaten by the elephants are left behind.

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“Why don’t we let the elephants do the hard work of collecting all these botanicals and we will make gin from it?” he recalled his wife suggesting.

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Weeks later, he said his wife woke him up in the middle of the night with the inspiration. “OK,” I said sleepily. “Let’s give this a bash. Let’s see how it works out.”

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They described the gin’s flavor as “lovely, wooded, almost spicy, earthy” and one that changes subtly with the seasons and location.

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The gin bottles are marked with the date and coordinates of where the elephant dung was collected. “So, you’re able to compare almost different vintages of the gin,” Ansley said.

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