Pink Pepper Gin creator Audemus Spirits was founded by Australian Miko Abouaf in 2013 in the famous French distilling mecca of Cognac.
But the company has made its name on gins, liqueurs, bitters and offbeat experiments like Umami Spirit, created from ingredients including capers and parmesan cheese.
Audemus’s creativity and distilling prowess was recognised in 2020 at the Icons of Gin Awards, when it was named Craft Producer of the Year.
Full disclosure, it was Andrew Burge from our partner The Gin Society who suggested that Miko his business partner Ian Spink would be great talent for the podcast.

Andrew sold me pretty quickly on this interview as I was pretty intrigued by the Audemus story, including the origins of its flagship product Pink Pepper Gin.
Pink Pepper Gin’s botanical recipe is comprised of juniper, black cardamom, pink peppercorns, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, tonka beans and two secret ingredients.
Remarkably, all of Audemus Spirits’ output to date originates in Miko’s living room. By using a vacuum still, he is able to lower the boiling temperature of the alcohol, maintaining the freshness of flavour in the distillates.
I wanted to ask Miko how it was that an Australian could find himself distilling gin in Cognac.
And with an imminent national launch for Pink Pepper Gin in Australia, what’s next for Audemus Spirits?
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China wine and spirits market: Expert Ian Ford’s insights – S5E8
The hottest Australian gins, with The Gin Queen: S8E3