Noosh Spirits draws inspiration from Persian flavours, traditions and cultural heritage in its distinctive gin expressions. Photo via Noosh Spirits

For those drawn to craft gin, the most memorable pours often offer more than familiar juniper and citrus profiles. Sometimes, an unexpected tasting experience calls for experimentation, restraint and a willingness to let unfamiliar flavours challenge expectations.

With distinctive Persian botanicals at its heart, Noosh introduces saffron and rose in expressions that unfold gradually, revealing layers of complexity alongside a cultural story that begins long before the first sip. 

The result is Noosh: Marand Persian Saffron Gin and Aran Persian Rose Gin.

 Growing up in Iran, Samira Saadatian could hardly have imagined creating a spirit rooted in Persian culture. Alcohol has been prohibited in Iran since the Revolution, making spirits largely absent from public life.

 Today, as founder and CEO of Noosh Spirits in Canada, Saadatian created gin that brings Persian saffron and rose botanicals in a new context. The journey, which she describes as “From Prohibition to Creation,” gives Noosh an origin story as unexpected as its balance and versatility.

A toast to heritage

 The name Noosh provides the first connection to its heritage. As Saadatian explains, “In Persian culture, when someone raises a glass and says ‘Cheers,’ the traditional response is ‘Noosh.'” More than a toast, it’s an ancient blessing and a wish for eternal life. She wants that spirit of connection to carry through every glass, inviting drinkers to experience a piece of Persian culture.

For Saadatian, saffron and rose hold personal significance. They are woven into Persian cuisine, celebrations and seasonal traditions, including the spring rose harvest and rosewater making in Kashan. Their aromas evoke home and a landscape that, while geographically distant, remains close to her heart. 

“With Noosh, I wanted to capture not only their flavours, but a piece of that memory in every bottle,” Saadatian says.

Inspired by her Persian heritage, Noosh founder Samira Saadatian brings culturally significant botanicals such as saffron and rose into a new expression of craft gin. Photo via Jayme Dunn

Crafting the unexpected

Translating such expressive ingredients into a gin without overpowering the spirit requires patience, persistence and precision, an endeavour central to Noosh’s approach.

It took four months to develop the original expressions, followed by another 24 variations. Saadatian even spent a week near the production facility, tasting and refining each iteration. “When the Persian botanicals finally became the stars, with the classic gin botanicals playing the perfect supporting role, I knew we had it,” Saadatian says.

The goal is not to disguise traditional Persian flavours inside a familiar gin. Instead, the focus is on allowing the ingredients to retain their distinct character. Saffron brings its golden hue and distinctive earthy character, while rose petals contribute a soft floral fragrance, creating expressions that feel both distinctive and approachable.

Noosh’s Saffron Gin received Gold at the 2026 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition, the first competition the brand entered, offering an early indication that an unconventional botanical profile can still feel unmistakably like gin.

A garden above the earth

The bottles are intentionally design-led, making the visual identity an important part of the Noosh experience. The design draws on Persian garden architecture, depicting a garden suspended above the earth. “I wanted the bottle to evoke beauty, but also to carry a deeper story,” Saadatian says. “The image symbolizes starting over on unfamiliar ground, when there is nothing beneath you, yet you build and create something beautiful.”

 Saffron embodies a similar sense of resilience. It blooms from dry earth and endures harsh conditions, yet it produces one of the world’s most precious spices. That spirit of resilience is woven into Noosh, inside and out and becomes part of their larger story. 

 Saadatian has also seen an element of surprise emerge at festivals, tastings and retailer introductions, where people often arrive expecting a conventional gin.

“I always knew saffron and rose would create curiosity, but seeing that surprise firsthand has been remarkable; that sense of discovery is absolutely part of Noosh. I’ve even heard our Saffron Gin described as the Champagne of gin.”

 At its core, Noosh carries the acknowledgement of hope for the future. “Noosh was born from a desire to protect and celebrate what still remains in our land, to carry the heritage of our gardens forward through a spirit the world already knows and loves,” she says.  

 Explore the Marand Persian Saffron Gin and Aran Persian Rose Gin through a local retailer across Southern B.C., listed on the Noosh store locator, or order your elegant bottle online from nooshgin.ca.