Ibhu’s Original Indlovu Gin

I first tasted the original Indlovu in December 2019 at a restaurant, and ever since then, I was fascinated with their story. I am ashamed to say that I only recently acquired my own bottle, but I’m extremely happy that I did! I took it with me to the bushveld this weekend. Given its origin, it just felt appropriate.

Ibhu was founded by Les and Paula Ansley when Paula had the idea to make gin from elephant dung. As the company slogan states, “A gin made in Africa…designed by elephants”. According to the website, the main botanicals are derived from elephant dung that has been washed and dried. These extracted botanicals can differ according to the season in which the dung is collected (dependent on the elephants’ diet) and as a result, every batch may be different.

Apart from gin’s distinctive juniper and citrus notes, Indlovu original brings a distinct earthy taste, which is derived from the grasses and bark foraged by the elephants. According to the website, some of the other botanicals that can be found in the gin are Buccu, Erica, and Acacia.

Ibhu partnered with Botelierskop Game Reserve close to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to primarily forage their main botanical ingredient on the reserve. Interestingly, the reserve is host to five African elephants. Each bottle of Indlovu gin is stamped with the coordinates of the location where the dung was collected (in my case Bottelierskop – 34.03S 22.14E) as well as the date of collection. Mine was collected on 22 October 2019.

All of this is, of course, very interesting. However, I think my absolute favourite detail about the Indlovu gin range is the fact that for every bottle sold, 15% of the profit is donated to the Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development Trust (HERD), South Africa’s first ever elephant orphanage. How cool is that?!

Details: more recently, I drank the gin as it was presented to me in December 2019 at the restaurant, except I swopped dehydrated fruit for the fresh alternative. The gin pairs well with both orange and lemon (fresh or dehydrated) as well as some whole cloves, which adds a slight spiciness to the gin’s citrus and earthy notes. This is the perfect gin to enjoy as is, or mixed with a plain tonic, next to a campfire in the bush.

The original Indlovu currently sells for R429 on Takealot, and for R529 on NGF.