From the very first gathering of gin lovers in Rovinj to the anniversary fifth edition in 2026 — pick a year.
A highly successful first edition of GinIstra attracted around 1,500 visitors and laid the groundwork for everything that followed. It was already announced that the festival would grow into a two-day event and move to the Old Tobacco Factory in Rovinj.
That decision gave the festival room to take on an international character — exhibitors from Croatia and the rest of Europe would arrive the following year to present their gins and take part in panel discussions and workshops.
The international edition of the 2nd GinIstra Festival took place on 6 and 7 October 2023 at the Old Tobacco Factory in Rovinj. Around 30 exhibitors arrived from Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Serbia, and the festival featured a rich programme of talks, panel discussions and workshops.
The title of "Best Gin in Show 2023" went to Lucanus Gin by Old Hills Distillery (Matko Meštrović, Bjelovar). Gold medals also went to Istrian producers: Count's Drinks and Istarska Kapljica from Kaštelir, Martesi and Sempervivum from Poreč, Rossi from Vižinada and AurA from Buzet.
The third international edition took place on 25 and 26 October 2024 at the Old Tobacco Factory. Around 50 exhibitors arrived from Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia and Slovakia, and more than 2,000 gin lovers attended the festival.
The title of "Best Gin in Show 2024" went to Poetica Olive Gin, produced by Poetica Distillery from Vrgorac (Jelena and Drago Nosić), who also won the festival's main prize — a sponsorship agreement with Valalta from Rovinj — alongside a platinum medal in the London Dry Gin category.
The fourth international edition of the GinIstra festival was held at the Old Tobacco Factory in Rovinj, bringing together 36 exhibitors from eight countries. Throughout the festival, visitors had the chance to taste more than 60 different gin samples, alongside a rich programme dedicated to gin culture, distilling and the growth of the craft scene.
The title of "Best Gin in Show" went to s778 Heritage Distillery from the island of Brač for its s778 London Dry Gin. The winning gin also received the special Design Masterpiece Award for its outstanding bottle design inspired by Brač stone. It was the second year in a row that GinIstra's champion title went to Dalmatia, following Poetica Distillery's win from Vrgorac the year before.
On 23 and 24 October 2026, GinIstra celebrates its fifth, anniversary edition. Alongside tastings, workshops and masterclasses, there is also a live music programme — Opća opasnost on Friday and Maja Šuput on Saturday.
