CHIN CHIN!
There’s nothing better than a gin and tonic, so why not support local and add a splash or two of these made-in-Joburg tipples to your summer drink?
Time Anchor Distillery | Moboneng
One of the first craft gin distilleries to pop up in Joburg, owned by head distiller Shanna-Rae Wilby and her husband Warrick Brown, you’ll be entranced by Time Anchor’s gorgeous selection of boutique gins, including a festive-themed range and colourful gins that shimmer! It’s well worth your while to visit them, take a tour and conduct a tasting before choosing your favourite bottle to take home with you. timeanchor.co.za
Try This: The orange-flavoured snow globe gin is absolutely beautiful to look at, with swirls of gold and silver flakes, a gorgeous Nutcracker-themed design on the bottle, and a switch at the base of the bottle that lights up the whole bottle!
Egoli Distillery | Malvern East
Classic dry gins are elevated with botanicals and grains sourced from Ghana, Kenya, Congo, Tanzania, Madagascar and South Africa, producing a compact range of small-batch gins. The Distillery was established in 2019 by Master Distiller JB Maina, and the product development took over a year, with distillers researching traditional brewing and distilling techniques before arriving at the perfect product. egolidistillery.org
Try This: The Egoli Dry Gin is fragrant, fresh and citric, with gentle spices and flavours of pink peppercorns and juniper berries.
Primal Distillery | Victoria Yards
One of the few distilleries to make their own neutral spirit from scratch (using sustainably-grown hard red wheat), Primal brings an exciting range of gins to the Joburg scene. The distillery uses local ingredients that showcase the city’s heritage such as Rex Union oranges and herbs grown right outside the distillery. primaldistillery.com
Try This: Rex Union oranges, found only on one farm in South Africa 145km outside of Johannesburg, is one of the key ingredients in the Union Gin – it has a rich, tangy flavour with hints of pink peppercorn.
Black Horse Distillery | Magaliesberg
Boasting a picture-perfect location in Magaliesberg, Black Horse is a small family-owned operation that’s home to a brewery as well as a distillery. Marius Bezuidenhout and Chanté Hilse are behind the stills, and it’s the former’s travels across the globe the curated selection of gins available to sip and buy. Get to know the brand a little better on a tour where you can experience the distillation and brew process and includes either a beer or a gin tasting. blackhorsedistillery.co.za
Try This: Delicious and balanced, Kolibrie & Passieblom has won a gold medal at the Lumo Awards – with soft flavours of cucumber, juniper berries and Rose of Jericho, it’s a nod to the classic style of Dry London Gin and ideal with your favourite tonic.
Ginologist | CBD
With a beautiful distillery at The Little Fox that’s absolutely worth a visit (if only just to try their full range of delicious gins in person) Ginologist takes a scientific approach to distillation. Their gins have won multiple awards and their perfect formula was arrived at after rigorous testing, experimentation and development using an all-glass laboratory-like set-up! The result is fun and flavourful, with a hand-crafted gin that you’ll want to share with friends. ginologist.co.za
Try This: The spicy Orient Gin features a dry London Gin base, with a combination of spices such as fennel, rooibos and liquorice that make for a complex, warm yet refreshing drink.
Noble Experiment Distillery | Midrand
Gorgeous to look at and even better to drink, the gins from Noble Experiment are sumptuous, paying tribute to tradition while experimenting with fun and edgy flavours. Head Distiller Riana Macdougall was crowned Woman Distiller of the year at the SA Women’s Wine and Spirit Awards, so if you’d like to learn from the master yourself you can visit the distillery yourself for a gin tasting experience or take part in a three-hour long masterclass in the art of distillation. thenoblex.co.za
Try This: The Rhubarb and Baobab Gin has a delicate pink colour, sweet-yet-tart flavour, and is inspired by the English country garden – but with an African edge thanks to the addition of Baobab. It’s softer than the traditional gin, with fruity flavours and aromas.
