The 16th Distiller's Cut adds a 48th ingredient to the recipe's 47 botanicals: mushrooms grown in the cellars of a fortress in Ulm
Monkey 47, the gin from the Black Forest in southern Germany, unveiled on October 6 the 16th edition of its Distiller's Cut, the limited version it releases once a year. Each edition, the gin's 47-botanical recipe gains a 48th ingredient, which the brand calls the species rara. In 2026, the pick was the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), according to the brand's official website and The Spirits Business.
The mushrooms come from Burgpilz, a company in Ulm, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. According to Monkey 47, they are grown on an organic substrate in the vaulted cellars of the Wilhelmsburg, the city's historic fortress, where founders Jochen Rank and Sven Gastrock have worked since 2021. The limestone walls resist mold, the humidity is naturally high and the space stays cool without refrigeration. In nature, the oyster mushroom grows on dead hardwood, especially beech, and is widely used as a meat substitute.
The mushroom goes into the gin's maceration and distillation. The brand describes a spicy yet elegant dry gin, with a delicate note of anise and subtle nutty touches. The Spirits Business adds that the ingredient brings umami and more complexity to the whole.
According to the magazine, the Distiller's Cut 2026 is 47% ABV, comes in a 500 ml bottle and costs 79.95 euros. Bottles are sold by raffle, with entry on the brand's website. The label is brown, with metallic details and embossing inspired by the mushroom's texture, and the cork ring is engraved with the Latin phrase ex pluribus unum. In the 2025 edition, the extra ingredient was sea salt from the Camargue, in France.
Monkey 47 is owned by Pernod Ricard and was founded by Alexander Stein. According to The Spirits Business, the brand's Schwarzwald Dry Gin and Sloe Gin won gold medals at The Gin Masters 2026. The sloe gin is in the Bebidário catalog:
Sources: Monkey 47 (official website, October 6, 2026), The Spirits Business (October 6, 2026).
