After two years in development, Brad Pitt unveils his organic gin label. The Gardener debuts at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.
Pitt joined his long-time Miraval wine partners, the Perrin family, along with master distiller, Tom Nichol, to develop the dry London-style “French Riviera Gin” — more than two years in the making.
Matthieu Perrin, whose family has worked with Pitt for a decade on wine and the recently launched biodynamic skincare line made from the estate’s grapes, told People that The Gardener Gin is “an expression of the land we cultivate and guard for the generations to come. It is a quest for perfection, dreamed up by friends who share a dedication to art and to craft.”
The Perrin family has resided in Southern France for five generations, according to The Gardener website, where the family has been “caring for the land and all the life it produces.” The Perrins were the first vignerons in France to adopt organic methods in the mid-twentieth century — a move that has since become commonplace in the wine capital of the world. France is aiming for half of its wine producers to achieve sustainability standards or organic certification by 2025.
“From the cultivation of biodiversity to regenerative agriculture, their vineyards and wines — as well as The Gardener — are an expression of their own dedication to the health of the nature and the generations to come,” reads The Gardener website.
“A dreamer, a visionary, and a man deeply connected to nature, Brad desired to create a spirit reflective of place with which he fell in love — a spirit as inspired and iconic as the atmosphere from which it was conceived,” according to The Gardener website. “The pursuit of beauty and perfection led him to imagine The Gardener.”
According to People, Pitt and Perrin persuaded Nichol, who made gin for more than 40 years, to come out of retirement for this project. Nichol was Master Distiller for Tanqueray Nº Ten in 2006. He said he was enticed by the opportunity to create the gin he “always dreamed of.”
Nichol is “an alchemist of great renown,” says the label’s website. The former master distiller is only the second person ever to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gin Guild.
“Like an artist translating a landscape with brush and paint, he perceives a recipe in light and color,” reads the website. “The Gardenere is proof of his vision, skill, and uncompromising sense of balance.”
The result meets expectations; The Gardener is a small-stilled, crisp, and fragrant organic gin. London-style dry gin is widely considered the purest of gins due to its lack of sugar and its use of natural flavors, which are added to the final distillate. According to the label, The Gardener is characterized by distinct notes of juniper, licorice, and coriander, as well as its prominent presence of pink grapefruit, lemon, and orange. The abundance of citrus lends a “Riviera-style” freshness to the gin’s flavor.
The Gardener builds on Pitt’s robust spirits and non-alcoholic beverage portfolio. Alongside Angelina Jolie, his partner at the time, Pitt purchased Château Miraval in 2012, partnering with the Perrin family a year later. The vineyard now produces Miraval Rosé among other estate vintages including Muse and Studio, as well as Fleur de Miraval Champagne. The estate also produces olive oil and provides the grapes in the recently launched clean skincare brand, Le Domaine.
Pitt is also behind the California-based sparkling tea company, Enroot. The tea line, formulated by James Beard-winning chefs, is made with organic tea in small, slow-brewed batches with ayurvedic botanicals and fresh fruits.
The Gardener will make its debut at the Carlton Cannes Hotel during the Cannes film festival. A limited edition of The Gardener will be available in U.S. stores in September.
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