--- description: Find out why Melesin Distillery is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2024. title: Melesin Distillery: World's Greatest Places 2024 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb425b3c6ea6b678/698a5921b21a9cedd850a40e/worlds-greatest-places-melesin-distillery-2024.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 25, 2024 # Melesin Distillery Leskovik, Albania by [Emily Lush](/author/emily-lush/) ## Emily Lush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Leskovik, in southern Albania Leskovik, in southern AlbaniaAlamy There was a time when ruby-red Mavrud wines were so coveted, bottles were earmarked exclusively for Albania’s party elite. After the fall of communism in 1990, wine-producing towns such as Leskovik—located 180 miles from the capital of Tirana—were all but forgotten. Named for the limestone massif that towers over its lone minaret, [Melesin](http://melesin-distillery.leskovik.hotels-al.com/en/ "undefined") is a hotel, restaurant, and distillery in one. Italian-made copper stills parked inside a cavernous lounge on the ground floor of the retrofitted industrial building refine both raki and gin from local grapes and juniper berries—part of an effort to set the bar for “Made in Albania” spirits and put this overlooked region back on the map. Equipment is still in test mode following the spring 2023 launch, but Melesin has started introducing new raki and gin degustations this year. Guests can also choose from Leskovic Mavrud, Cabernet, Debine, and Shiraz wines. Upstairs, eight suites exhibit a kind of luxury seldom seen this far from the Albanian Riviera: oak floors, exposed stone walls, and woven textiles are juxtaposed against modern furnishings. Melesin promises more than just a unique boozy weekend—it is the gateway to the roaring [Vjosa](https://www.vjosanationalpark.al/ "undefined"), which was crowned Europe’s first Wild River National Park last year. _Buy your copy of the World's Greatest Places issue_ [_here_](https://magazineshop.us/TIMEWGP24 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2024/6992260/melesin-distillery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2024/6992260/melesin-distillery/"},"headline":"Melesin Distillery","datePublished":"2024-07-25T11:05:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:33:35.940Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2024/6992260/melesin-distillery/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb425b3c6ea6b678/698a5921b21a9cedd850a40e/worlds-greatest-places-melesin-distillery-2024.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emily Lush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/emily-lush/"}],"creator":"Emily Lush","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb425b3c6ea6b678/698a5921b21a9cedd850a40e/worlds-greatest-places-melesin-distillery-2024.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2024/6992260/melesin-distillery/","name":"Melesin Distillery"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The World's Greatest Places of 2024","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/HlwBiNPC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-07-25T10:50:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HlwBiNPC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2024/6992260/melesin-distillery/","duration":"PT3M29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2024/6992260/melesin-distillery/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```