Silent Pool’s Head Distiller Uses Synesthesia to Perfect Gin

Marzio Di Rocco, head distiller at Silent Pool Gin, relies on his synesthesia—a neurological condition linking sight and smell—to craft the brand's signature expression. The gin features 24 botanicals, including chamomile found growing through the distillery's floorboards, lavender, linden flowers, roses, and English angelica root. Di Rocco, a former sommelier, discovered his synesthesia during wine training, describing flavors in colors. He moved to the UK in 2011 without English, worked in bars and breweries, and joined Silent Pool nearly five years ago. The distillery, located in the Surrey Hills, uses two copper stills named Juliet and Ophelia. The recipe took nine months and 650 trial distillations to finalize. In blind tastings, Di Rocco perceives any off-flavors as "dark shadows" and the ideal gin as a pastel green, reminiscent of the local chalk grasslands.