The World's Largest Hotel Gin Collection? It's Not Where You Think
Ali Bullock at the Gin Library at Solar Branco Eco Estate in the Azores
Adam Morganstern
Lots of travelers bring home a bottle of local gin from their vacation, but one hotel in the Azores has people packing a bottle when they leave for their trip instead. 'The rules are if they bring one I already have — I get to keep it,' laughs Ali Bullock, proprietor of the Solar Branco Eco Estate on the island of São Miguel. 'But if it's a new one they get to swap it for one of my gins. It's amazing. We're getting incredible gins that you will never see anywhere else in the world all in one place.'
With this organic approach, and a slew of international guests bringing small-batch craft gins from their hometowns, Bullock has recently announced the addition of his 2,000th bottle and claims the largest gin collection of any hotel in the world. 'We started with my own personal stash of 300 and now we have bottles from 72 countries and every continent except Antarctica,' says Bullock. 'We'll have someone visit from a small town in Tasmania and say 'You don't have my local gin' and I'll say 'Here it is.''
The Gin Library at Solar Branco Estate
Rui Soares
The collection is on display at the hotel's 'Gin Library,' a former farmer's cottage on the property, which was built in the 1800s. All guests are invited for a complimentary gin and tonic every evening, and there are gin flights and gin masterclasses available as well. And for those who want to taste through the rarities among the 2,000 bottles — the Library has a very democratic approach. 'It's €14 to have a drink with any of them.' says Bullock, 'All the same price.' But was there ever one he liked so much that he took it out of the library to keep all for himself? 'Yes, a Jettywave from California,' he admits. 'But then I brought it back because I thought everyone should enjoy it.'
Unsurprisingly, Bullock met his wife (and co-proprietor of Solar Branco) Caroline Bullock over a gin and tonic. 'I was helping out at a friend's bar and saw her across the room and handed her a drink and said 'this is for you,'' laughs Bullock. The English couple married and both took jobs that moved them to Hong Kong. After 15 years there they were ready for a change and they decided to open a hotel on the Azores which they had visited on their honeymoon. Bullock had stringent requirements for the kind of place he wanted to run. 'I've been to a hundred countries. I've fallen in love on holidays, I've been dumped on holidays. I've fallen in love and been dumped on the same holiday. I've been mugged and I've been in the middle of a military coup. But the one thing I've always hated most is every single minibar. My minibar will be free!'
Solar Branco Eco Estate
Courtesy of Solar Branco Eco Estate
Along with the complimentary minibar Solar Branco Eco Estate holds comfort and sustainability as equally important goals. There are eight luxury suites and cottages, four of which are located in the 'solar' (the original country mansion). The hotel uses solar power for up to 80% of its energy use, grows produce on site (and buys the majority of the rest from local farmers), has 50 cage-free chickens foraging on the property and bans single-use plastics. 'And we have the most comfortable beds in Portugal,' boasts Bullock. The hotel also supports the Ocean Azores Foundation, another of Bullock's projects, that has made the surrounding waters of the islands (an autonomous region of Portugal) a whale sanctuary.
Bullock has also combined his love of the ocean and whales with his favorite spirit, and distills his own line of gins called 'Ghosts of the Ocean.' The lineup of ten gins includes 'Baleia' which is made with local seaweed in the base, 'Azorean Yuzu' made with Japanese citrus that is grown on the island, as well as a 'London Dry' and a 'Medusa Pink Gin.' But one of the closest to Bullock's heart is his 'September 10 1987 Limited Edition' — named for the day after the last whale was killed in the Azores and the ban on the practice went into effect. 'I didn't want to celebrate the last day one died, I wanted to celebrate the day they became protected.'
Sushi dinner at Senhor Raposa's Secret Drinking Den
Rui Soares
The Gin Library is open to all visitors, not just hotel guests, and those wanting an even more special experience can arrange a sushi dinner at 'Senhor Raposa's Secret Drinking Den,' a speakeasy hidden behind one of the gin-covered bookshelves. Chef Joana, a native of São Miguel, offers an omakase-style dinner featuring local fish paired with the extensive gin collection (vegetarian and vegan options are also available). 'Senhor Raposa was the gentleman who built this estate in the 1800s,' says Bullock. 'Legend has it he left the island at age 15 in search of an adventure and came back a very wealthy man. But when he returned it was decades later and no one knew who he was. So they nicknamed him 'Senhor Raposa' which means 'Mr. Fox.''
Along with the Jettywave from California, some of Bullock's favorite gins from the collection include Tarquin's Cornish Gin from the U.K., ClemonGold gin from South Africa, Hapusa Himalayan Dry Gin from India, 44°N Gin from France and Arapuru Gin from Brazil. The collection includes rarities from places most people have never had a gin from, including Bolivia, Botswana, Uganda, Bulgaria and Guatemala. 'That's the great thing about having guests from around the world coming together over drinks,' says Bullock. 'Everyone can put their political or cultural differences aside. The one thing that unites everyone is gin.'
And though he's hit his marker for claiming the world's largest hotel gin collection, Bullock doesn't seem to want to rest on his laurels. 'I told my wife I'd stop at 1,000 — then I told her I'd stop at 1,500,' says Bullock. 'And now we're at 2,000, but there's got to be at least 15,000 more in the world. So will I stop at 4,000? I think as long as people bring us more gin, why would we stop? I'll just keep building more shelves.'
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