All gin produced on Minorca is to be known as “Gin de Mahón”

The Balearic government has been left with no choice but to repeal its decree made in 1997 which had the original intention of embracing all gin producers who were not based in Mahon.

A similar situation prevailed that year with the naming of Minorcan cheese. The product which had up until then been called “Queso de Mahón” (cheese from Mahón) then became known as “Queso de Mahón-Menorca.” “The brand name Gin de Mahón has been recognised by the European Union since 1989, but “Gin de Menorca” has never been endorsed by EU institutions,” Xavier Mora, Managing Director of Minorcan gin manufacturers “Xoriguer” said yesterday. The company is the only remaining producer on Minorca. “They had to do a U-turn so far as the title is concerned because there was no other competition on the island,” explained Mora.
Asked if the change of name is going to affect sales in any way, Mora said that it would make no difference because when people who wanted to purchase the gin, either as a drink in a bar or as a complete bottle in a shop, they ask for “Gin Xoriguer” as opposed to “Gin de Mahón,” or “Gin de Menorca.”