Ungava Gin

Ungava Canadian Premium Gin. Les Spiritueux Ungava, Ungava Peninsula, Quebec, Canada — the world's only naturally yellow gin, built on six hand-foraged Canadian Arctic botanicals including cloudberry, crowberry, Labrador tea, wild rose hips, Arctic blend, and Nordic juniper, steeped for five weeks both before and after distillation for a color and complexity no other gin can replicate.

The Ungava Peninsula sits at the northernmost tip of Quebec, where the subarctic landscape of the Canadian Shield meets Hudson Bay. It is one of the most remote and botanically singular regions on earth, home to plants that grow nowhere else and that have sustained Indigenous communities for millennia. The recipe for Ungava Gin draws on this environment entirely: all six botanicals are hand-foraged in the peninsula by local harvesters following a three-year picking cycle designed to ensure the land is never over-harvested. The botanicals are then carefully dried in the northern Quebec air before being slowly steeped for five full weeks.

The color is Ungava's most immediately striking quality — a vivid, natural golden yellow that comes from the post-distillation maceration of the wild rose hips and cloudberry in particular. No artificial color is added. The botanicals are introduced in two passes: a pre-distillation steep to extract the deeper, structural flavors, and a post-distillation infusion to capture the more volatile aromatic compounds and impart the color. On the nose and palate, the gin is more traditional in character than its appearance suggests — more classic, more juniper-forward, more balanced — but with a distinctive tart berry freshness and floral complexity that make it immediately identifiable.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Fresh citrus zest and aromatic pine with underlying spice notes from Nordic juniper and Arctic blend. A hint of peppermint tea and lemon zest. White flowers develop with time. Soft and mildly sweet.
• Palate: Lively and smooth — fresh and floral with bright fruity notes. Crowberry and cloudberry deliver a light tartness and berry sweetness. A touch of fig, sour apple, and fresh cranberry alongside moderate piney juniper. Labrador tea adds a velvety smoothness. Coriander emerges at mid-palate.
• Finish: Sweet spearmint that evolves from the initial peppermint character, alongside fading caramel and a hint of juniper pine. Clean and dry with a light spice. Medium length.

Specs

• Producer: Les Spiritueux Ungava, Ungava Peninsula, Quebec, Canada
• Style: Contemporary Canadian Gin
• Base Spirit: Locally grown corn
• Botanicals (6): Nordic juniper, Arctic blend (leafy evergreen shrub), cloudberry, crowberry, Labrador tea, wild rose hips — all hand-foraged in the Ungava Peninsula
• Color: Natural golden yellow from post-distillation maceration of wild rose hips and cloudberry — no artificial coloring
• Steeping: Five-week steep; botanicals infused pre- and post-distillation
• ABV: 43.1% (86.2 Proof)
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Ungava Gin taste like? More traditional than its yellow color suggests — fresh citrus zest and aromatic pine on the nose with peppermint tea and lemon. The palate is lively and smooth with bright berry tartness from cloudberry and crowberry, moderate juniper, Labrador tea smoothness, and a touch of fig. The finish is clean and dry with spearmint and fading caramel.
• Why is Ungava Gin yellow? The natural golden yellow color comes from the post-distillation maceration of wild rose hips and cloudberry — no artificial coloring is added. The six Arctic botanicals collectively impart the color, with rose hips and cloudberry contributing the most.
• What is Labrador tea? Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum) is an aromatic shrub native to the North American subarctic, historically used by Indigenous communities as a medicinal tea. In Ungava, it contributes a distinctive velvety smoothness and a floral, slightly earthy character.
• What is cloudberry? Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) is a subarctic fruit that grows on the Ungava Peninsula, prized for its sweet-tart flavor reminiscent of a mix of raspberry and apricot. It is extremely difficult to cultivate commercially and must be wild-harvested.
• What cocktails is Ungava best in? Outstanding in a G&T garnished with a grapefruit wedge, where its berry and citrus notes shine. Also excellent neat or on the rocks for sipping, or in a Gimlet where its berry tartness complements lime beautifully.