Made from Mastiha, this clear spirit is hard to describe: it smells like a sun-drenched rocky Mediterranean hillside covered in wild herbs, like crushed juniper berries and fresh-torn spearmint leaves, deep aromas of rain-soaked cedarwood and violet essential oil. It's gently sweet yet refreshing, and its balance makes it highly versatile. Skinos Mastiha Spirit regards itself as the "truly Mediterranean spirit. The spirit has its founding in the 10th century BCE as a Greek cure for intestinal problems and breath freshening. It was known as Mastiha and later referred to as skinos. Mastiha is actually the resin from a particular tree that is obtained by pricking the bark and collecting the sap as it runs out for this reason, it is called "the crying tree. The mastiha is macerated in grain alcohol, then blended with sugar and mineral water before bottling. Its long history of use as therapeutic survives to this day where the University of Nottingham claimed it can cure peptic ulcers.
Chios is the only place on earth where the mastiha trees produce a plentiful and pure resin that can be used in beverages, chewing gum, and other applications.
