359 Gin

359 Gin was born thanks to the friendship between Paolo and Pier, two guys who have always shared a passion for fine drinking.

359 gin history began in Crevenna, a hamlet in the municipality of Erba, Lombardy, located 359 meters above sea level. Paolo, a bartender fond of gin, teamed up with Pier, a socialite who enjoys going out with friends; encouraged by his trusted bartender, Pier gave gin a try, and from that moment, their passion for this spirit ignited. A little out of fun and a little for experimentation, the two friends started the new business.

Paolo and Pier are committed to merging tradition with innovation, and 359 Gin embodies the combination of local botanicals with distillation using a discontinuous still.

The bottles of 359 Spirits also tell a special story: the legend of Caino and Elena and their love. We share the distillery storytelling in its entirety.

In the year 1598, the villages of Erba were ravaged by one of the area’s most notorious bandits. Born in Pusiano, the brigand Caino sought refuge in Crevenna, hiding in the rugged Bova Valley and subsisting on fruits found in nature and wild animals. However, Caino was too much of a bon vivant to live as an ascetic. He noticed that farmers cultivated many juniper trees, whose trunks provided shade and relief for sheep. Recognizing the juniper berries as his salvation, he began to experiment.

After many attempts, he finally found the perfect blend. The juniper from the valley, combined with coriander and angelica, produced a successful concoction. After enduring numerous headaches and stomachaches, he succeeded in creating a clear, aromatic drink that led him to a delightful discovery—a potion to share.

Caino was in love with a beautiful woman. One spring day, Cain met her at the wash house in Crevenna, and she had never left his head. He had secretly followed her and spied on her, but without ever introducing himself, discouraged by her appearance and her fame. He had to bewitch her.

He remembered that he had often seen her at the wash house with baskets of small fruits. So Caino went down to the blackberry and blueberry fields and filled his pockets with them. He stole some wild strawberries and created a new mixture.

He went to Elena to declare himself, who admitted without fear that her heart belonged to the priest. So the lover was struck to death by the suitor right where he loved Helen, among the sage and the lemon trees in bloom.