You read that headline right. Stihl has teamed up with the UK distillery Silent Pool to launch a sawdust-infused gin. They’ve named the concoction “DiStihled” and it’s said to be “Great for a very, very dry Martini.”
Surrey-based Silent Pool Distillers has a solid reputation for crafting high-quality gin. Their flagship product, Silent Pool Gin, is known for its complex, balanced flavor profile, featuring 24 botanicals. The Stihl Gin is a classic super dry gin, with notes of pine and warm oak with elm, elder, and chestnut on the finish.
Stihl, of course, are best known for their chainsaws but has never been afraid to collaborate with other industries to create unique and enticing offerings. Two other fine examples of this are their petrol-powered coffee machine and their men’s shaving set – both of which are well-reviewed. But let’s now find out more about the gin!
Stihl Sawdust Infused Gin
DISTIHLED is a collaboration between Silent Pool Distillers and STIHL Chainsaws. The product is described as a “Sawdust Infused Dry Gin” and it has a 40% alcohol content (making it perfect for tinctures)!
Stihl shared:
Making the most of the large volumes of sawdust that we produce when testing and demonstrating our chainsaws, we have been working with Silent Pool Distillers to recycle this by-product and create a Limited Release sawdust gin.
It’s certainly a novel approach to recycling sawdust.
Paul Hicks, Product and Marketing Manager from STIHL, said:
We are always creating plenty of sawdust when testing our saws and it seemed like a wasted opportunity to just get rid of it, so we had an idea to use it for something a little bit different! We were keen to work with a local business and we knew that Silent Pool Distillers were based in Surrey too, so we approached them with our proposal and they said yes!
He also shared that the hand-built copper still in which the gin is produced was created for them by the Arnold Holstein Company which is based in Germany, only a few short hours’ drive from STIHL’s headquarters in Waiblingen.
A spokesman for Silent Pool also shared:
This is the perfect fusion of German manufacturing and British craft and innovation. We’re really excited to be able to launch a fantastic new gin that is both delicious and environmentally friendly.
Silent Pool Distillers
Silent Pool Distillers also gained recognition for its picturesque location and sustainable practices. They use water from the Silent Pool, a local natural spring, in their distillation process, and the distillery operates with a biomass boiler and a vintage steam boiler to minimize their environmental impact.
We are told that the Stihl gin “has been produced using some of the same botanicals used in Silent Pool’s signature gin, including the locally sourced honey and the key ingredients, juniper berries, coriander seed, and angelica root. The sawdust itself sits within the gin basket which hangs inside the still to infuse it with a woody aroma.
The gin is said to have a delicate balance wherein the sawdust doesn’t overpower the other botanicals. However, it has a “fresh new taste” that is best served with plenty of ice, a premium tonic, and a sprig of rosemary.
DiSTIHLed Gin
Would you like to try this new Stihl Gin?
Well, unfortunately, if you hadn’t guessed already, this was another of Stihl’s April Fool’s jokes. For better or for worse, there is no sawdust-infused gin. You can see their original post here.
Though they shared:
As it’s after 12pm, we guess we should come clean on this one! Although it is our April Fools’ Day prank, the lovely people at Silent Pool did actually make a very small batch of sawdust gin which were sent out to a handful of lucky recipients! Enjoy!
And if you liked the idea of this product, you’ll also love learning about the Stihl MS991 XXL (biggest chainsaw ever made), the MSA 22 AF (first chainsaw with TWO bars), or the Stihl Bonsai Pruning Saw (my favorite).
