The story behind Hum 587
The story behind Hum 587
The story behind Hum 587
Our Vis' Love Story
Travelling like the Greeks and the Romans before us, we were absolutely enchanted by the beauty of Vis island, with its green heart of vineyards, lemon trees and the scents of the aromatic wild herbs. Vis island, the oldest settlement in Croatia opened up to us; just like releasing the content of the liquid and history from the Greeks that had been stored in their amphoras 2400 years ago. With a shared love for the colour of turquoise, love for ancient beauty that meets one's eye, and the smell of the natural perfumes of the island made Vis a jewel in the Adriatic sea in our eyes. With its own unique flavour; a cocktail of ingredients were just waiting and singing out to be captured in a bottle of botanical gin - the first seed of making HUM 587 botanical gin was planted in our minds. Hilde as the apothecarist of the distillery and Gary the distiller. The perfect G&T mixture!
Our Vis' Love Story
Travelling like the Greeks and the Romans before us, we were absolutely enchanted by the beauty of Vis island, with its green heart of vineyards, lemon trees and the scents of the aromatic wild herbs. Vis island, the oldest settlement in Croatia opened up to us; just like releasing the content of the liquid and history from the Greeks that had been stored in their amphoras 2400 years ago. With a shared love for the colour of turquoise, love for ancient beauty that meets one's eye, and the smell of the natural perfumes of the island made Vis a jewel in the Adriatic sea in our eyes. With its own unique flavour; a cocktail of ingredients were just waiting and singing out to be captured in a bottle of botanical gin - the first seed of making HUM 587 botanical gin was planted in our minds. Hilde as the apothecarist of the distillery and Gary the distiller. The perfect G&T mixture!
Mount Hum
Following the air route of the bees and butterflies through ancient dry stone walls in the hills you will instantly smell the fields of Marins lavender, which gives our Artemis gin a floral breeze of summer. Continuing further up towards the peak of Mount Hum you will find the lavender's close relative, the wild rosemary which plays a part in infusing our gin. Reaching Mount Hum at 587 metres above sea level, where the blue skies meet the green slopes and the turquoise crystal clear water, you get a panoramic view of the whole palette of the colours of Vis island. With the panoramic view from Mount Hum, we could draw a map over where we wanted our gin to be sold, from Dalmatia to the far shores of Italy. The name of our brand was lying at the front of us at our feet! Where our wild botanicals are picked, framed with the island's colours, where the sea kisses the mountain and the view of our distribution area; the brand HUM 587 was born.
Mount Hum
Following the air route of the bees and butterflies through ancient dry stone walls in the hills you will instantly smell the fields of Marins lavender, which gives our Artemis gin a floral breeze of summer. Continuing further up towards the peak of Mount Hum you will find the lavender's close relative, the wild rosemary which plays a part in infusing our gin. Reaching Mount Hum at 587 metres above sea level, where the blue skies meet the green slopes and the turquoise crystal clear water, you get a panoramic view of the whole palette of the colours of Vis island. With the panoramic view from Mount Hum, we could draw a map over where we wanted our gin to be sold, from Dalmatia to the far shores of Italy. The name of our brand was lying at the front of us at our feet! Where our wild botanicals are picked, framed with the island's colours, where the sea kisses the mountain and the view of our distribution area; the brand HUM 587 was born.
The founders
Hilde Hellebø Ward
Owner & Apothecary
When first arriving at Vis in 2010, Hilde and her husband were hit by the scents of the island and its untouched, natural beauty. It immediately won their heart and after more than two decades at a commercial TV station Hilde found herself feeling an inner drive to start a new chapter of their life. From a distant radio she could hear the lyrics ‘Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living’, and I knew it was time to follow passion and vision, a whole new way to make a living. “Gonna change your life, do something that gives meaning. Working 9 to 5, making something of your own”. Between the bees and butterflies Hilde started to learn about the different botanicals and when to pick and dry them, which had her soon becoming the apothecarist of the distillery.
Hilde Hellebø Ward
Owner & Apothecary
When first arriving at Vis in 2010, Hilde and her husband were hit by the scents of the island and its untouched, natural beauty. It immediately won their heart and after more than two decades at a commercial TV station Hilde found herself feeling an inner drive to start a new chapter of their life. From a distant radio she could hear the lyrics ‘Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living’, and I knew it was time to follow passion and vision, a whole new way to make a living. “Gonna change your life, do something that gives meaning. Working 9 to 5, making something of your own”. Between the bees and butterflies Hilde started to learn about the different botanicals and when to pick and dry them, which had her soon becoming the apothecarist of the distillery.
Hilde Hellebø Ward
Owner & Apothecary
When first arriving at Vis in 2010, Hilde and her husband were hit by the scents of the island and its untouched, natural beauty. It immediately won their heart and after more than two decades at a commercial TV station Hilde found herself feeling an inner drive to start a new chapter of their life. From a distant radio she could hear the lyrics ‘Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living’, and I knew it was time to follow passion and vision, a whole new way to make a living. “Gonna change your life, do something that gives meaning. Working 9 to 5, making something of your own”. Between the bees and butterflies Hilde started to learn about the different botanicals and when to pick and dry them, which had her soon becoming the apothecarist of the distillery.
Gary Ward
Owner & Distiller
In the summer of 2010, Gary, who had spent half of his life as a commercial deep sea diver, approached the island of Vis with his oxygen tanks on his back ready to be filled up with the floral scents of the island. The idea of building a distillery and making gin started to take form. In his diving career, Gary spent a lot of his time inside diving chambers with valves being operated controlling his gas and hot water systems. Sometimes when he was on the outside of the diving chamber he was mixing gases to give the right percent of Oxygen and Helium to the divers inside. His naval career was both exciting and adventurous, sometimes “shaken & stirred” which had him travelling worldwide with the evenings sampling G&T’s in the local establishments. In the distillery Gary now operates the valves outside the copper pot still to control temp & alcohol flow of our HUM 587 gins to make the right percentage and taste of the distilled gins.
Gary Ward
Owner & Distiller
In the summer of 2010, Gary, who had spent half of his life as a commercial deep sea diver, approached the island of Vis with his oxygen tanks on his back ready to be filled up with the floral scents of the island. The idea of building a distillery and making gin started to take form. In his diving career, Gary spent a lot of his time inside diving chambers with valves being operated controlling his gas and hot water systems. Sometimes when he was on the outside of the diving chamber he was mixing gases to give the right percent of Oxygen and Helium to the divers inside. His naval career was both exciting and adventurous, sometimes “shaken & stirred” which had him travelling worldwide with the evenings sampling G&T’s in the local establishments. In the distillery Gary now operates the valves outside the copper pot still to control temp & alcohol flow of our HUM 587 gins to make the right percentage and taste of the distilled gins.
Gary Ward
Owner & Distiller
In the summer of 2010, Gary, who had spent half of his life as a commercial deep sea diver, approached the island of Vis with his oxygen tanks on his back ready to be filled up with the floral scents of the island. The idea of building a distillery and making gin started to take form. In his diving career, Gary spent a lot of his time inside diving chambers with valves being operated controlling his gas and hot water systems. Sometimes when he was on the outside of the diving chamber he was mixing gases to give the right percent of Oxygen and Helium to the divers inside. His naval career was both exciting and adventurous, sometimes “shaken & stirred” which had him travelling worldwide with the evenings sampling G&T’s in the local establishments. In the distillery Gary now operates the valves outside the copper pot still to control temp & alcohol flow of our HUM 587 gins to make the right percentage and taste of the distilled gins.
the hum 587 team
Ana Kezic
Office Manager
Ana is the office manager, with a full overview of all the activities in the distillery. Not only keeping up with the legal paperwork that requires submitting, she labels all the bottles by hand and takes the final quality control of the products before they are packed. Ana joined the team in 2022 and is our first line of contact for orders, booking of tours and general inquiries.
Ana Kezic
Office Manager
Ana is the office manager, with a full overview of all the activities in the distillery. Not only keeping up with the legal paperwork that requires submitting, she labels all the bottles by hand and takes the final quality control of the products before they are packed. Ana joined the team in 2022 and is our first line of contact for orders, booking of tours and general inquiries.
Ana Kezic
Office Manager
Ana is the office manager, with a full overview of all the activities in the distillery. Not only keeping up with the legal paperwork that requires submitting, she labels all the bottles by hand and takes the final quality control of the products before they are packed. Ana joined the team in 2022 and is our first line of contact for orders, booking of tours and general inquiries.
Amanda Ward
Social Media
Amanda is our oldest daughter and a valuable part of the HUM 587 team. With a steady hand and creative eye, she’s working with our social media channels. Whether it’s brainstorming content or strategic decision-making, Amanda brings thoughtfulness and care to everything she does – helping us share the story of HUM 587 with the world.
Amanda Ward
Social Media
Amanda is our oldest daughter and a valuable part of the HUM 587 team. With a steady hand and creative eye, she’s working with our social media channels. Whether it’s brainstorming content or strategic decision-making, Amanda brings thoughtfulness and care to everything she does – helping us share the story of HUM 587 with the world.
Amanda Ward
Social Media
Amanda is our oldest daughter and a valuable part of the HUM 587 team. With a steady hand and creative eye, she’s working with our social media channels. Whether it’s brainstorming content or strategic decision-making, Amanda brings thoughtfulness and care to everything she does – helping us share the story of HUM 587 with the world.
Emma Ward
Designer
Emma is our youngest daughter and a driving force behind the scenes of HUM 587. Working with strategy and branding to designing our website and running social media, she’s brought both creativity and structure to the table. Her eye for detail and passion for storytelling have helped bring the spirit of HUM 587 to life online.
Emma Ward
Designer
Emma is our youngest daughter and a driving force behind the scenes of HUM 587. Working with strategy and branding to designing our website and running social media, she’s brought both creativity and structure to the table. Her eye for detail and passion for storytelling have helped bring the spirit of HUM 587 to life online.
Emma Ward
Designer
Emma is our youngest daughter and a driving force behind the scenes of HUM 587. Working with strategy and branding to designing our website and running social media, she’s brought both creativity and structure to the table. Her eye for detail and passion for storytelling have helped bring the spirit of HUM 587 to life online.
Okusi Visa Distillery
Vis was once a forbidden and unknown island in the Adriatic. After the second world war, the island was one of the main Yugoslav military naval bases until the abandoning of the base in 1989. It was only after 1991 that the island opened to foreign visitors. In that way, the island’s natural beauty was left intact, almost preserved and authentic. Behind them they left an impact on the island’s history and its navy did not reclaim most of the facilities with many of the abandoned buildings today being used for civilian purposes. With the 300 litre copper still ready to produce the gin we needed premises to start the art of distillation and with the permission from the town of Vis the opportunity to build our distillery in a part of the former Jugoslavian military base became a reality. A perfect location situated within a 10min walk from the ferry port.
Okusi Visa Distillery
Vis was once a forbidden and unknown island in the Adriatic. After the second world war, the island was one of the main Yugoslav military naval bases until the abandoning of the base in 1989. It was only after 1991 that the island opened to foreign visitors. In that way, the island’s natural beauty was left intact, almost preserved and authentic. Behind them they left an impact on the island’s history and its navy did not reclaim most of the facilities with many of the abandoned buildings today being used for civilian purposes. With the 300 litre copper still ready to produce the gin we needed premises to start the art of distillation and with the permission from the town of Vis the opportunity to build our distillery in a part of the former Jugoslavian military base became a reality. A perfect location situated within a 10min walk from the ferry port.
Okusi Visa Distillery
Vis was once a forbidden and unknown island in the Adriatic. After the second world war, the island was one of the main Yugoslav military naval bases until the abandoning of the base in 1989. It was only after 1991 that the island opened to foreign visitors. In that way, the island’s natural beauty was left intact, almost preserved and authentic. Behind them they left an impact on the island’s history and its navy did not reclaim most of the facilities with many of the abandoned buildings today being used for civilian purposes. With the 300 litre copper still ready to produce the gin we needed premises to start the art of distillation and with the permission from the town of Vis the opportunity to build our distillery in a part of the former Jugoslavian military base became a reality. A perfect location situated within a 10min walk from the ferry port.
We would love to get in touch with you.
Whether you’re interested in selling HUM 587 products or visiting Okusi Visa Distillery, we’re always happy to connect. Our doors are open for shopping, tastings, tours, or just a visit.
We would love to get in touch with you.
Whether you’re interested in selling HUM 587 products or visiting Okusi Visa Distillery, we’re always happy to connect. Our doors are open for shopping, tastings, tours, or just a visit.
We would love to get in touch with you.
Whether you’re interested in selling HUM 587 products or visiting Okusi Visa Distillery, we’re always happy to connect. Our doors are open for shopping, tastings, tours, or just a visit.