MG Destilerias – The family home of the Le Tribute brand
Gin from MG Destilerias is mature Spanish distilling art – with Le Tribute as a citrus-fresh answer to what a young gin from an old house tastes like. A former chapel, where Gin Mare was created, stands on the company's own premises.
MG Destilerias is the Giró family distillery behind the brands Gin MG, Le Tribute, and Gin Mare, which now belongs to Brown-Forman. At nur Gutes, the gin from their latest line represents this traditional Catalan distillery, which produces all three brands in-house.
In the hands of the Giró family since 1835
When the house began distilling on the Catalan coast in 1835, the Giró family initially bottled liqueurs, syrups, and lemonades. The gin itself did not arrive until a good century later.
Things remained that way until the middle of the twentieth century. Then, Manuel Giró discovered wild juniper growing in the mountains – an observation that would change the product range. Gin MG was launched in 1940, one of the first gins ever distilled in Spain. Since then, the family has passed its distilling knowledge down from generation to generation.
One gin leads the way, many bottles follow
MG Destilerias has built an entire beverage program around the Le Tribute gin line – from tonic water to ginger beer, lemonades, and even mezcal.
At nur Gutes, it all begins with the gin with the bright citrus line – it is the ambassador of the house. The tonic in the same range clearly displays its natural quinine on the label. In addition, proprietary glasses and gift sets complete the brand's image.
The distillery also distills and blends rum, liqueurs, brandy, cognac, whisky, and even cachaça, as well as ready-to-drink cocktails under the name MG Spirit.
Old but New – the motto on every label
“Old but New” is written on the labels of the Le Tribute range, and it is hard to capture any better how MG Destilerias combines tradition and the present in one bottle – old distilling craft, young recipes.
In its own words, the brand sees itself as a tribute to two centuries of passion for craftsmanship, and the house proves this claim through its work: for Gin Mare, brothers Marc and Manuel Giró tested no fewer than 45 botanicals at the time, distilling each one separately before the final recipe was set.
This diligence was also measured by external parties. In 2021, the gin from this line received Gold with 90 out of 100 points at the Bartender Spirits Awards. The company is still run by the family itself – a business that now employs around two hundred people. Their own land even provides the juniper: the house harvests it by hand in Teruel, on the family’s own soil.
Gin MG, Le Tribute, and the story of Gin Mare
Three gin brands have been created under the umbrella of MG Destilerias: the flagship Gin MG, the big success Gin Mare, and the young, citrus-forward line Le Tribute.
Gin Mare was developed starting in 2007 at the headquarters together with external partners – and it is still produced there today. Le Tribute, the youngest of the three, places Spain's citrus fruits at the center of the recipe. Gin MG itself remains part of the range – the classic of the house.
A visit to Vilanova i la Geltrú
The distillery is still located on Carrer de Miquel Guansé in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a coastal town about fifty kilometers south of Barcelona – where it all began.
If you want to sample your way through this house, the journey begins with the young line and its gin. From there, it leads into our gin collection, featuring juniper relatives from many countries. Alternatively, you can take a turn into our Spain selection with olive oil, sea salt, and more from the south. This is how you bring Catalonia into your glass.
