Craft botanical gin from the island of Vis wins international award
- by croatiaweek
- in Food & Wine
(Photo: Okusi Visa)
There has been some major international success for craft spirits coming out of Croatia in recent years, and the latest has come from the small island of Vis.
HUM 587 London Dry Botanical Gin, which was only launched in June 2022, has has been awarded a silver medal in the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2023.
What makes the win even more special was it was the first competition that the gin, produced by Okusi Visa, a small batch handcrafted Gin distillery on the island, had entered.
“For us to win silver medal in this prestigious competition is a great achievement reflecting all our hard work with making the distillery and formulating the recipe from the natural botanicals from Vis island,” Okusi Visa Hilde and Gary told us, before adding.
“We believe our award-winning Gin reflects the smell and taste of Vis and we would like to thank everyone who supported us, especially those from the island during our HUM 587 Gin journey.”
(Photo: Okusi Visa)
Gary Ward, an ex British navy diver and a commercial deep sea diver, and wife Hilde Hellebø Ward, who worked for 23 years at a commercial TV station in the Norwegian city of Bergen, moved to the island of Vis and started Okusi Visa back in 2020.
Gary and Hilde overlooking Komiža (Photo: Okusi Visa)
“We were hit by the scents of the island and its untouched, natural beauty. It immediately won my heart and after years of searching, I found myself feeling an inner drive to start a new chapter of my life,” Hilde explains.
(Photo: Okusi Visa)
You can read all about Hilde’s and Gary’s story here.
