Keeping up with global market trends, Latvijas balzams, the leading producer of alcoholic beverages in the Baltic, has launched the first premium gin distilled in Latvia – Cross Keys Gin®. Thanks to the Latvian summer herbs in the beverage – chamomile and linden blossoms – Cross Keys Gin® offers a true taste of the Baltic summer.
“This week we are starting to produce a new beverage and very soon we will deliver it for distribution in the Baltic, Great Britain, Russia, Australia, Italy and elsewhere,” says global brands director Maris Kalnins, “Several of our foreign partners have shown a high interest in Latvia’s first premium gin, once again affirming our centuries-old traditions and experience in making strong spirits.”
Gin is one of the few strong spirits categories that has seen a positive dynamic in recent years, with the premium gin segment growing between 7 – 9%. “Our decision to start in this category with a high-quality product is strategically thought out. We have put the best we can offer into this product – the chamomile and linden blossoms typical for summer in our region, combined, to be sure, with juniper berries. Also, we include tried and tested values in this beverage – the herbal combination from the legendary Riga Black Balsam®,” the global brands director disclosed.
“The market is saturated with various varieties of gin; therefore, we chose to do the opposite – instead of complicated cocktails, we offer the experience of the full taste of gin in simply prepared cocktails or neat. We have also chosen unusual packaging – we bottle Cross Keys Gin® in the ceramic bottles known to Latvians from Riga Black Balsam®, which have a significant effect on the maturation process of the gin. It is using a ceramic bottle instead of glass that gives the beverage a deeper and more rounded taste. We are convinced that the refined flavour of the beverage will appeal to consumers around the world,” says global brand director Maris Kalnins.
Latvijas balzams is the leading producer of alcoholic beverages in the Baltics with a history rich in tradition since 1900. The company is one of Latvia’s leading exporters, its products are available in more than 30 countries in the world and every year, new export markets are opened. Latvijas balzams is also one of the largest taxpayers in Latvia.