Luxembourg
Dry Gin
Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin is created by distilling 8 locally grown and hand-picked natural products, together with 18 botanicals classic to the gin genre.
Our Story
The Opus team joined the world of distilling in the Fall of 2016. Our gin had started out as just a spontaneous idea amongst three friends at the bar, where else of course, and we had the feeling that we were onto something special. Our enthusiasm, innovative and creative ideas, along with the valuable insights from local industry experts, enabled us to craft a unique product full of character.
In the beginning we set out with the goal to open up our own distillery. We had felt that the fire of Luxembourg’s distilling culture was about to burn out and we wanted to prevent that from occuring. However, after extensive research, including a great deal of tasting, it was evident to us that in fact, Luxembourg’s distillers are doing just fine and produce excellent spirits.
From our discovery, we decided to pivot away from our original vision and we then asked ourselves, “What do we and our friends like to drink?…. Gin!” From there we conceptualised a gin that is inherently different. Our gin is characterised by ingredients of the highest quality, processed by a sharply tuned production process. As a result, Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin provides a wonderfully distinct flavour and scent profile. Every single bottle we produce is crafted with passion and love. To ensure quality, we distil in limited quantities.
Production process
Opus is created via a traditional state-of-the-art distilling method that has been used for generations. We found that this method allowed us to achieve complete expression of our locally based botanicals during our distilling processes.
To distil our gin, we firstly need a base alcohol. For this purpose, we are using a 96% vol neutral alcohol that is comprised of wheat. It is completely free of odour and flavour, exactly what we need to produce our individual notes during distillation. We fill this alcohol into tanks, and overnight, a part of our meticulously balanced botanicals mixture macerate inside. That way, the distinct oils, essences, and flavours have enough time to evolve. The profound taste and vibrant body of the final product are also due to the outstanding quantity of botanicals that we are process in our mash.
To distil our gin, we firstly need a base alcohol. For this purpose, we are using a 96% vol neutral alcohol that is comprised of wheat. It is completely free of odour and flavour, exactly what we need to produce our individual notes during distillation. We fill this alcohol into tanks, and overnight, a part of our meticulously balanced botanicals mixture macerate inside. That way, the distinct oils, essences, and flavours have enough time to evolve. The profound taste and vibrant body of the final product are also due to the outstanding quantity of botanicals that we are process in our mash.
Distilling is the heart of the process. The mash slowly heats up to boiling temperature and the first alcohol vapour is ascends the firing column and reacts with the copper. The first liquid that comes out of Camille’s Kothe still, is called the ‘heads’, which is separated and put aside. This is gradually followed by the ‘heart’ of the distillate. At this point we put emphasis on a slow distilling pace. This takes more time and it is a small but fine detail of our production process that you will later not only experience in the flavour but also in the mouthfeel of our gin. After the ‘heads’ run through the still, all aromas and majority of the alcohol have been extracted from the mash. The final thing to follow is the ‘tails’. This element has an unpleasant taste and will be discarded. The quantity of every batch is limited to a small amount of bottles and as a result we are able to guarantee the highest quality.
After distilling, the gin is stressed and will need some rest. It now has 82% vol on average and we are giving the gin with all its different aromas 8 weeks in order to unite and become a whole. The last piece of the story we perform before bottling, is adding demineralised water. We add little by little in order to reduce the gin to our drinking strength of 44% vol.
We then repeat this process again and again. All with care. Batch by batch.
After distilling, the gin is stressed and will need some rest. It now has 82% vol on average and we are giving the gin with all its different aromas 8 weeks in order to unite and become a whole. The last piece of the story we perform before bottling, is adding demineralised water. We add little by little in order to reduce the gin to our drinking strength of 44% vol.
We then repeat this process again and again. All with care. Batch by batch.
Product description
‘’Opus” symbolises the passion and determination we have put into the creation of this gin, synonymous with the way artists tenaciously pursue perfection when designing their oeuvre d’art. Crafted in small batches, our Opus Luxembourg Dry gin is a harmonious blend of 8 local elements we hand-picked in our rural surroundings and intermixed with 18 botanicals classic to the gin genre. The outcome, a spirit of layered complexity that gives gin enthusiasts an elevated experience.
Scent and flavour notes
Nose
Dominating juniper in the beginning, together with notes of different berries and blossoms. Followed by a freshness tracing back to citrus fruits. In the end, bitter and spicy aromas are adding to the complexity
Palate
Complex, reflecting the aromas from the nose. The juniper that is dominating at the beginning, is sliding to the background and is leaving a wide, fruity, crisp taste with nuances of spiciness and a certain sweetness.
Finish
Rounded off and harmonious. The honey, the bold spiciness from the juniper and coriander and the citrus notes ensure a rather intense but pleasant sensation that remains for a while.
Local Botanicals
We collect all of our botanicals in a sustainable way and we engage in the cultivation of these traditional Luxembourgish products. The plant and animal life of our region plays a particular role in our corporate philosophy and we don’t forget that the crops we pick also constitute a food source of birds and other wildlife.
Sloe (Prunus spinosa fruct.)
Sloes can be found all over Luxembourg. This thorny hedge is domiciled along many paths, forests and meadows. The fruits are dark blue and extremely bitter. After the first frost, they become ever so slightly edible, so this is the right moment for us to harvest them. It helps our gin to get a strongly aromatic, slight bitterness that plays an important role in its overall character.
Rosehip (Cynosbati fruct.)
Rosehips are the fruit of the dog rose (Rosa canina or Rosa rubiginosa), a variable, climbing rose species that sprouts throughout the country. At full maturity, the fruit has a vibrant red colour, is bitterly sweet and is used, if at all, to make tea, liquor or jam. Also in popular medicine it is a highly valued plant. In our gin it harmonises with the sweetness of the honey, and yet still contributes a bitter spiciness.
Blackberry (Rubus sectio rubus, var. fruticosus)
Blackberries are found primarily alongside forests, but they can also be seen next to meadows, paths, creeks and rivers. The small, mostly blue-blackish fruits ripen between August and September and develop a very pleasant sweetness. From this the gin is develops a fruity, a wider and more dense taste.
Elderberry (Sambucuci ebuli fruct.)
Elderberries are present in hedgerows, forests andin villages. They can grow into a 8m tall tree, with a well-shaped, round crown. After being cooked or fermented, the black berries can be utilised in the kitchen, in herbal medicine, and also as a colouring agent in the industry. The elderberries are imbuing the ensemble with chocolate and roast aromas, which develop during the drying process.
Elderflower (Sambuci flor.)
The flowers are small, yellowish-white, and appear in June. The arising odour from these flowers is distinctively fresh and fruity, and adds to the invigorating note of our gin.
Rose petal (Rosae rubrae flor.)
From the rose hedge, we are only pick the very best leaves during full bloom, in pursuance of getting the optimal scent we are looking for. These emphasis the perfumed aspect even more.
Pine seedling (Pinus silvestris turiones)
There are many different pine varieties spread across Europe and Luxembourg. It can be identified by its red bark and long spiky needles. The seedlings are packed with essential oils and resin, which are inducing a ‘woody’, and together with the citrus notes, a ‘Mediterranean’ character.
Honey (mel)
Just like in the cycle of nature, the honeybee also plays a very important role in our circular company philosophy. The honey, which is being produced by our own beehives, is contributing to a round, smooth mouthfeel and rounds off the gin’s taste.
How to drink?
Gin & Tonic
The most puristic and classic way to enjoy a gin. Developed by British officers in East India around 1825, who at that time used the chinin from the bark from the cinchona (Cinchona pubescens), mixed it with soda and their gin. From there, the first Gin & Tonic was born.
What you need:
- 40 ml Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin
- Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic
- Ice
- Handful of dried juniper berries
How to do it:
- Fill 3-4 ice cubes into a tumbler or a highball glass
- Pour in 40ml of gin
- Fill up with tonic
- Fill up with tonicGarnish with juniper
OPUS Dry Gin
Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin, straight, for the connoisseur. Classic, easy to present but complex in taste.
What you need:
- Nosing or grappa glass (or another glass with thin walls)
- 40ml Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin (at room temperature)
How to do it:
- Pour in gin, hold your glass into the light to judge the texture
- Smell over the glass (not in the glass) and make an overall scent profile. Later on, try to smell out different botanicals
- Taste it. For the first impression, try to focus on your tongue. Which notes can be distinguished? Juniper? Coriander? Citrus?
- Continue with tasting. After a few moments, the second impression kicks in at the palate, where more and more aromas are unfolding.
- A small solution can be found here
Bramble
An all-rounder. A fresh and fruity cocktail for every occasion.
What you need:
- 60ml Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin
- 10 fresh blackberries
- 10ml sugar syrup
- 20ml lime juice
- 40ml Fever Tree Sicilian Lemon
- Crushed Ice
How to do it:
- Take a tumbler or highball glass and put in the blackberries, sugar and gin
- Mash everything and fill up with ice
- Stir well and pour in lemon tonic
- Garnish with a blackberry and serve
IPA Hunneg Gin
The bitterness of an Indian Pale Ale together with the sweetness of the honey harmonise perfectly. The Mediterranean and fresh taste of the basil, along with the freshness from the lime juice ensure that the character of the gin is well accentuated. The result is a cocktail with immense substance, suitable to every season, with tasting notes ranging from sweet, to spicy and slightly bitter.
What you need:
- Opus Luxembourg Dry Gin
- 1 bottle of IPA
- Lime juice
- Basil
- Local honey
- Ice cubes
- Egg white
How to do it:
- Mash basil & honey
- Add lime juice, egg white & gin
- Shake for 10-15 seconds
- Fill up with ice
- Add beer before serving, in order to get a nice whitecap
Album
About us
Michel
As a trained organisational and personal developer, he is used in planning every production process meticulously and willing to get everyone on the same boat. By his chronic lateness, he ensures the filling up of the team’s cashbox.
Fränk
Graduated Entrepreneur and creator of Opus’ content on- and offline. Known as the man behind the creative and less creative ideas. Makes sure that the bills are paid by the end of the month. Always wants to have the last word.
Jim
Our Sommelier sometimes succeeds to distract us from the essentials by fishing out a good bottle of wine from his cellar. He’s recruiting new Opus enthusiasts and is looking forward to invite you to one of our tasting events. Being a studied gastronomer, he’s not too shabby.
OPUS Luxembourg Dry Gin
36,90 € TTC
70 cl
44%
Where to enjoy?
