Since joining Brown‑Forman’s portfolio in late 2022, Gin Mare, the herbaceous, savory Mediterranean gin, has steadily grown its presence across all 50 U.S. states and reaffirmed its identity as a spirit rooted in place and purpose. Its recent win as Spirit of the Year Spain at the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards marked a moment of recognition, along with a point of reflection: What does it mean to scale a brand while staying true to its Mediterranean roots? We spoke with Robyn Evans, Global Brand Ambassador for Gin Mare at Brown‑Forman, about evolving production, market strategies, and the careful art of preserving authenticity in the global drinks space.

Gin Mare is imported into the U.S. by Brown‑Forman. How extensive is its current footprint across U.S. states? 

We have seen growth since acquiring the brand in November 2022 and sell roughly 4,500 9L cases annually. Gin Mare is available in all 50 states, and our focus is on the on-premise.

Beyond Brown‑Forman in North America, how do you support importers and distributors in core regions—Europe, Asia, travel‑retail—to accelerate off‑premise listings and on‑premise adoption?

Gin Mare has a strong presence across Europe, across bars in key cities and coastal locations as well as premium off-trade. 

How would you characterise Gin Mare’s core demographic, and how does its Mediterranean‑by‑nature identity shape your marketing tone and channel strategy?

Gin Mare is a Mediterranean Gin, and its core values of hospitality, connection, gastronomy, and nature are inspired by this homeplace and guide all marketing and brand-building activity. Gin Mare's consumer is 18/21-65 males and females who aspire to the Mediterranean way of life. 

Image: Gin Mare Distillery, welcoming visitors and inviting them to experience the Mediterranean culture of gastronomy, drinks, and a gentle pace of life under the sun.

You’ve previously led Mediterranean‑themed events such as the Cannes pop‑up and Villa Mare in Madrid. What promotional formats will you enact following the 'Spirit of the Year Spain' win to enhance on‑ and off‑premise visibility?

Gin Mare is Mediterranean by nature, and so we will continue to build the brand as an icon of the Mediterranean across all channels, engaging with the on-trade and consumers. 

While the original copper still housed in the chapel still sits on the property, you’ve since scaled up to 1,000L stills for each distillate. Can you share more about how this evolution has shaped your production approach and how the Mediterranean‑sourced botanicals contribute to Gin Mare’s distinctive profile?

Although production has scaled to meet volume demands, our core values of being an icon of the Mediterranean have remained the same. Each of our key Mediterranean botanicals is sourced from throughout the rich, fertile lands of Greece, Spaia, Turkey, and France. All of Gin Mare’s botanicals have always been distilled separately and then artfully blended together, ensuring consistency across the board. This method has remained the same throughout the evolution and growth of Gin Mare. 

Image: (Left) Original copper still and (Right) Mediterranean botanicals.

With savory, herbaceous notes complemented by crushed juniper, gentle citrus, and a touch of salinity from the arbequina olive, how do you recommend bartenders and consumers best express Gin Mare’s character in a cocktail, or through a signature serve?

Gin Mare’s signature serve is a Mare Tonic, a classic gin and tonic garnished with a twist of orange and sprig of rosemary. This garnish not only provides aromas that enhance Gin Mare’s distinctive flavours, but is also visually iconic to the brand. For those who are not gin and tonic inclined, we would recommend a Dirty Maretini. Gin Mare’s savory profile and full-bodied palate make a perfectly moorish dirty martini.

Image: (Left) The original Copper still in the chapel where heritage meets artistry. (Right) Mare Tonic.

Conclusion:

As Gin Mare’s distinctive blend of crushed juniper, citrus, rosemary, and arbequina olive continues to win over bartenders and consumers alike, its positioning remains refreshingly clear: a Mediterranean gin that resists compromise in both spirit and execution. With its presence now felt from seaside bars in Barcelona to backbars in Brooklyn, the next chapter for Gin Mare will be about more than expansion—it will be about deepening its resonance with those who aspire not just to drink differently, but to live differently.

Header Image: Robyn Evans, Gin Mare’s Global Brand Ambassador.

In conversation with Malvika Patel, Editor and VP, Beverage Trade Network

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