Castrum

Ulica Malca 68, 34334 Kaptol, Croatia

Distillery

3 PHOTOS

Gault&Millau presents

Distillery The small craft distillery Castrum, located in the quiet Slavonian village of Kaptol surrounded by forests, fields, and vineyards, produces gin inspired by local herbs. It was founded by Iva and Mihovil Pranjić, a married couple who left their careers in Zagreb (marketing and law) during the pandemic to start their own business in their hometown. Their idea was to produce two types of gin and a herbal liqueur, and by March 2021 they had already introduced Castrum London Dry Gin, followed by Castrum Barrel Aged Gin and finally Planinkovac, a sweet-bitter herbal liqueur made from 14 plants. The base of each gin is juniper from Slavonian forests, complemented by local herbs such as elderberry, black mulberry, and grapevine, with natural spring water from Papuk also playing an important role. A craft approach is applied in production, with aging as a key process. Standard gin matures in stainless steel tanks for about a month, while barrel-aged gin matures longer in restored Slavonian oak barrels. Castrum products are sold via their web shop and in the HoReCa sector, with annual production of around 2,500 liters. The brand’s visual identity is linked to the location: the label is inspired by the ground plan of the Old Town in Kaptol, while the name “castrum” refers to this type of fortification.