The creators of Indlovu Gin say an amazing variety of botanicals can be found in ‘elephant feces’
MOSSEL BAY, South Africa (AP) — The makers of a South African gin infused with elephant dung swear their use of the animal’s excrement is no gimmick.
“As a consequence, in the elephant dung, you get the most amazing variety of these botanicals,” Les Ansley said during a recent visit to their operations. “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.
“The initial reaction of most people is, ‘What? There’s no way.’ But most people are very keen to actually taste it,” Ansley said. And once people hear about elephants’ digestive process “it becomes a lot clearer to them, and they accept it very well.”
“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.”
