Menorca is a Mediterranean island which belonged to the British crown over 200 years ago, for most of the XVIII century.Thousands of British soldiers and sailors were stationed on the island in those days. They frequented the local taverns, but they were unable to find the liquor that was fashionable at the time in their country: GIN.
Soon some Mahón craftsmen found a solution to the problem.
They would import juniper berries and produce gin on the island, using wine alcohol from Mediterranean vineyards.
In this way, GIN, a nordic drink, was successfully launched in Menorca. During the XVIII and XIX centuries, it became established as a popular drink, and became an indispensable feature at any special event, private or public, on the islandIn the early part of the XX century, on the initiative of a Menorcan family of craftsmen, a brand name was born: XORIGUER, which began to bottle and carefully commercialise the product which hitherto had only been marketed locally.
XORIGUER is the name of the ald windmill built in 1784, in which many generations of the PONS family had converted bushels of wheat into white flour.
MIQUEL PONS JUSTO, heir to a long tradition of craftsmen, wanted to put these traditional values of quality and refinement to use in his liquor company, and for this he chose as an emblem not only the name but also the image of the century-old family business: the graceful windmill with its wind-sails.
GIN XORIGUER ceased to be merely a local curiosity and became a product with an ever widening reach, opening the way in the market with its quality and attractive bottling.
Due to its origins, traditions and Mediterranean characteristics, GIN XORIGUER has gained recognition throughout the EEC, being denominated a guaranteed traditional speciality or specific name of product E.T.G. MAHÓN-MENORCA.
XORIGUER is still a family business, looking to the future, faithful to its origins and to a continuing tradition of craftsmanship, with the desire to please all their clients and friends with its carefully elaborated GIN XORIGUER.
GIN XORIGUER is the same today as it always has been.
It is the result of distillation in traditional copper stills, using high quality wine alcohol and carefully selected juniper berries, which come from the neighbouring Mediterranean mountains, togother with aromatic herbs. These herbs are the jealousy guarded "secret" of the liquor's original bouquet. Only the heirs of family know the identity and proportion of this valuable ingredient, which is added behind closed doors and without witnesses, at the start of each distilling. The respect for tradition is such that the fuel still used today in the distillation is wood.
The distillation begins when the vapours which are produced in the still's boiler circulate through copper pipes until they reach a coil, where they condense, forming a precious liquid that drips into jars.
An expert tastes the liquid at intervals to determine the pecise moment when the distillation is complete. One this is accomplished the GIN is stored in large oak barrels, where it retains unchanging its colour, flavour and aroma, until finally it is bottled.
GIN XORIGUER, thanks to its unique character and to its distillation from natural products, is free of any unwanted additives which could impair its preservation or spoil any kind of cocktail or mixed drink.
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