our story
The persian limes give a delightful citrus flavour
Travelling the world in the oil industry (hence The Nodding Donkey Distillery Company) exposed us to the many amazing ingredients used in food and drink from a wide range of different cultures. None more so than in Iraq where the local people use Noomi Basra, or Persian Limes, in a huge range of cuisine. From cold sweetened drinks in the heat of summer, to warm teas in the winter. In thick black laced with cardamom and whole in soups and stews. It’s instantly recognisable with delightfully citrus notes and flavour. The secret though, so the locals say, is to remove the pips and you can only do that properly by hand. It’s a labour of love, but well worth it.
Inspired by the revived interest in what we’ve always thought of as a fantastically versatile spirit, we wanted to make a robust gin with heavy notes of juniper but one which was perfectly balanced by the other botanicals. It’s been 18 months in the making but the wait has absolutely been worth it.. We won’t deny that we’ve had a lot of fun along the way. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.