Indlovu Gin costs about 32 USD per bottle, the taste varies depending on when and where the ingredients are collected.
Indlovu Gin is made from the dung of African elephants. (Photo: Fox News).
Scientist couple Les and Paula Ansley, came up with the idea for a unique gin after a wildlife tour a year ago, Fox News reported on November 13. One wildlife advocate explained to them, elephants eat a variety of fruits but digest less than a third. “So in elephant dung, you get most of this fruit,” says Les Ansley.
The new wine is called Indlovu Gin, Indlovu means elephant in Zulu. Les and Paula Ansley describe it as having a pleasant, pungent, woody, earthy taste that changes with the season and location. In the early stages of winemaking, the couple received ingredients that were sent to them. However, they now manually collect elephant dung so that they can compare the range of wine produced in each period.
Les Ansley collects elephant dung in the Botlierskop nature reserve on October 24. (Photo: Fox News).
Producing 3,000-4,000 bottles of wine requires 5 large waste bags. They are dried, pounded and washed to remove dust. After processing, this material only leaves the smell of flowers, fruits and leaves that elephants eat. Each bottle of Indlovu Gin costs about 32 USD, with the date and location of the elephant droppings. The wine is available online, at duty-free shops or at motels in nature reserves.
“People’s first reaction is usually ‘What? No way.” But most are excited to try it,” Ansley said. “I even touch elephant dung. It’s wonderful to be up close to these animals. A little taste of them is also a pleasant experience,” said Elsabe Hannekom, a visitor to the nature reserve. Botlierskop, comments.