Leftover fruits turned into high-quality flavoured spirits

TEXT: XANDRA BOERSMA | PHOTOS: ACKER & GO DISTILLERY

Inspired by Italian grappa and using fruits that are either strangely shaped or leftover for another reason, Acker & Go Distillery creates a colourful collection of uniquely flavoured spirits.

In October 2016, Alfred van Acker and Hilde Goosses started their own distillery. Their first product was a gin called Gybergh 42. Their recipe includes elderberry, lavender and hyssop, certainly not your everyday gin, with a flowery, fruity taste and a spicy aftertaste. “It’s ideal as a digestive or aperitif and, of course, as part of the classic gin and tonic,” Van Acker explains. “But the Gybergh is also perfect for food pairing. Have you ever tasted an oyster with a few drops of gin? The combination of the salty oyster and fruity gin is amazing.”

Combining food and spirits is not new for Van Acker; it originated in his youth. “My father had a vineyard and this is where the idea arose for our new product, an Eau de Vie made out of locally produced fruit and press remnants. We wanted to make our own version of the Italian grappa.”

The goal is to have the collection of Eau de Vie ready this autumn. “We use leftover fruits, like pears in rare shapes or apples with spots on them. But also leftovers from people with fruit trees in their gardens. The most important thing for us is that the fruit is organically obtained, we don’t want to add pesticides in our bottles.”

Does this sound enticing to you? Well then Van Acker has some good news: “Soon, we’ll be hosting tours and tastings at the distillery, and food pairings will play a big part in this. We want people to get to know the unique taste of our products.”

https://www.agdistillery.be

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