Called Renais, the wine-inspired gin is produced near Domaine Watson, her family’s Chablis, France vineyard. It is produced through distillation of wine grape skins, lees, botanicals, linden flowers, cubeb berries and acacia honey.
“It certainly isn’t the easiest way to go about making a gin,” Alex Watson said at a launch event attended by the publication Decanter. “I wanted to do something that no one had ever done: to capture the essence of a specific terroir, the uniqueness of Chablis, by drawing on the traditions, techniques and ingredients from the land, and embodying those characteristics in a gin.”
Alex Watson said his sister—best known for playing Hermione Granger in the popular Harry Potter series—was “very passionate” about making the gin sustainable. The stills are solar powered and packaging is made from mushrooms.
“To me, Renais is a family project – not only does the Chablis region evoke very special memories of growing up, I’ve loved having the opportunity to create something with my brother Alex,” Emma Watson said. “I’m particularly proud of upcycling grapes from vineyards – including my dad’s – to reduce waste and create something new.”