Obsidian Gin: Made from a Volcano
There are a lot of gins on the market. Most of them tell a version of the same story: a botanist walked through a hedgerow, found some interesting plants, and decided to put them in a bottle. The story of Obsidian Gin is different. Genuinely, completely different.
It starts with a meteorological phenomenon that almost nobody in the UK has heard of, and ends with one of the most distinctive spirits produced anywhere in the world.
Horizontal rain
The Canary Islands receive very little rainfall in the conventional sense. But on the north-facing volcanic slopes of the islands, something remarkable happens. Sea clouds roll in from the Atlantic, driven by the trade winds, and meet the cool volcanic rock. The moisture condenses and precipitates, not as falling rain but as a fine horizontal mist that drifts through the laurel forests and collects in the ancient lava rock formations below.
This is horizontal rain. The Canarians have known about it for centuries. It was how indigenous communities survived on islands that had almost no rivers. The water filters slowly through layers of volcanic basalt and obsidian rock, picking up minerals along the way, before emerging as some of the purest, most naturally filtered water on earth.
That is the water in every bottle of Obsidian Gin. Not tap water run through a filter. Water that has drifted in from the Atlantic, condensed on volcanic slopes, and seeped through ancient lava rock.
Why it is called Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava cools rapidly. It is found across the Canary Islands, where it was used by the indigenous Guanche people to make tools and weapons thousands of years before European contact. The rock is striking in appearance: jet black, smooth, and almost mirror-like when freshly broken.
The name captures everything that makes this gin what it is. Volcanic. Ancient. From the islands. The bottle design echoes it: dark, clean lines, with the deep geological character of the Canary Islands written into the label.
The botanicals
Obsidian Gin is a London Dry gin, which means it must be distilled to the standard of the style: no flavourings or sweeteners added after distillation, a clean and precise spirit that allows the botanicals to do the work.
The botanicals include juniper, as all London Dry gins must. But the Canarian additions are what set it apart. Mango from La Gomera. Pineapple from El Hierro. Both are islands in the western Canary archipelago, each with their own distinct microclimate and soil. The tropical fruit notes that come through in the glass are not artificial flavourings or extracts. They are the result of genuinely Canarian botanicals distilled into a spirit made with Canarian volcanic water.
The result is a gin that is unmistakably juniper-led in the classic London Dry tradition, but with a warmth and tropical depth underneath that no British or continental gin can replicate. It is not a novelty flavoured gin. It is a proper gin with a remarkable provenance.
How to drink it
The simplest approach is also the best. A measure of Obsidian Gin over plenty of ice, topped with a premium tonic, and a slice of fresh mango or a wedge of lime. The ice opens up the tropical notes as it melts. The tonic lifts the juniper. The mango garnish brings out the La Gomera botanicals.
For cocktails, Obsidian makes an excellent Negroni variation with sweet vermouth and Campari, where its tropical character adds an unexpected warmth to the bitter orange. It also works beautifully in a Canarian Sour: 50ml Obsidian, 25ml fresh lemon juice, 15ml honey syrup, shaken hard over ice and strained into a coupe. The volcanic water character comes through in the finish in a way that is genuinely hard to explain but easy to taste.
Why you will not find it anywhere else in the UK
Obsidian Gin is produced in small quantities in the Canary Islands and distributed almost entirely within Spain and for export through specialist importers. It is not stocked in UK supermarkets. It does not appear in the major online spirits retailers. If you want a bottle in the UK, you need to know where to look.
We import it directly and stock it alongside the rest of our Canarian gin range, including the Carmela Guava and Mango Gin for those who prefer a more approachable tropical style. Both are delivered across the UK.
If you are a gin enthusiast and you have not tried a spirit made from volcanic water, this is the one to start with.