April 2026 | Recollection Spirits Hiker’s Hut Gin

Starting a distillery is no small feat! Where did the idea come from?

Inna: We’ve always loved visiting other distilleries and have been interested in the craft behind making spirits. For me personally, it also made sense. I’ve always enjoyed chemistry and cooking, and spirits sit somewhere between the two.

We talked about creating a product for years, but it never really moved beyond conversation. After COVID, we were both feeling worn out from our digital jobs and wanted to do something different. At first, the idea was small, just a side project or a hobby.

Once I started looking into what was involved, it became clear it was bigger than we’d expected, so I started working on a business plan.

Igor: We were both pretty burnt out from our digital jobs. After a gin festival we’d been to, we started joking about opening our own distillery. Or at least, I thought we were joking. The next morning, Inna had a business plan, and suddenly we were starting a business.

After Inna presented me with the first version of the business plan, I realised the deal was done and there was no turning back. We needed to start experimenting and actually doing something.

Rather than spending months just reading and learning, I jumped straight into making. The result was a Frankenstein creation that was technically flammable but barely qualified as a spirit. It smelled awful, like cucumber fuel and tasted even worse.

After that failed experiment, we spent a couple of years learning, talking to other distillers and trying to understand the industry as much as we could. Now, every day at the distillery is a joy... especially the cleaning.

Inna: I couldn’t bring myself to try the cucumber… liquid. The smell alone was enough.

Your bottles are absolutely gorgeous! Where did the design inspiration come from, and how important was that visual storytelling?

Inna: How much space do we have in this magazine? I can honestly talk about branding for hours.

Our spirits are inspired by personal experiences, places we’ve visited and flavours we genuinely love. So it was important that the brand felt timeless, not trendy, and that those stories came through in the details. Subtly. More like hints than something loud or obvious. We wanted it to feel like you’re discovering something, not being told what to think.

That’s why the labels have patterns and references you don’t necessarily notice at first glance. The mountain outline, the fern, the poem, the texture and embossing. Trust me when I say every millimetre has been considered. You have to look closely, and then look again.

Igor: We were told, on multiple occasions, not to use a tapered bottle especially with a wrap-around label. But what do they know, life is short, why keep it simple. Plus our beautiful bottles are made from recycled glass, so each one is unique and not perfectly round, which means we end up doing almost, if not everything, by hand. This is a truly handcrafted product.

We imagine there were a few recipe trials to get it just right. How did you know when you’d nailed it?

Igor: Honestly I lost count but around 40 - 50 iterations. To us, it’s the right balance between smoothness, strength and flavour. It also means you can make a G&T that doesn’t just taste like tonic. The gin cuts through nicely.

What else is in your range that we should know about?

Igor: You have to try the Nalyvka. Neat or on the rocks, and then with gin over ice. It’s just heavenly.

Inna: We make a sour cherry Nalyvka inspired by Ukrainian summers and traditional fruit liqueurs made at home. It’s made with fresh sour cherries and is probably nothing like what you’ve tried before. A little sweet, a little tart and far too easy to drink.

We also made a limited-edition Pumpkin Pie liqueur, which sold out twice before Christmas. We’re planning to bring it back again this year.