What first caught my attention with Cape Fynbos Gin is the beautiful packaging and labeling and of course, this set my expectations for the gin itself.
Well I am pleased to report that the gin, both the Citrus and the standard gin, are lovely.
Why Fynbos makes a great gin
Fynbos is endemic to south west of South Africa and anybody who has taken a stroll through a fynbos thicket knows that it has a wealth of beautiful, rich scents.
The plants that give fynbos this character have small leaves, as the term denotes, and many are packed with juices and tastes that are similar to garden herbs.
Add the best of the fynbos botanicals to a good base gin and you have a recipe for something special.
Cape Fynbos Gin
Cape Fynbos Gin is distilled at Wilderer Distillery in Paarl but is the brainchild of Cape Fynbos Wines & Spirits owners Oliver Kirsten and Johan du Toit.
Tertia du Toit, Johan’s wife, is the artist behind the images on the packaging. She has depicted all their favorite Fynbos plants.
As one would expect the gin has 45% alcohol in the Fynbos Edition, 43% in the Citrus Edition and is distilled in small batches of 40 liters. The base spirit is formed from fractional distillation and infused with juniper and over 30 indigenous fynbos plants.
The plants are sustainably harvested and the most flavorsome element of each plant is extracted. Be it the bark, roots, berries, flowers, stems, peels and leaves, it is then put into the distillation process.
There is also a citrus edition of Cape Fynbos Gin and this is infused with the peels and flesh of five selected citrus fruits and cold soaked for two weeks.
Tasting
At a recent Thirsty Traveler tasting, Cape Fynbos Gin came received a number of compliments. Comments included:
“Once I tasted the Cape Fynbos Gin neat and discovered its complex palate I did not want to spoil it with a mix. Neat or on the rocks, this gin is worth taking time to explore.”
“I know I am home from my travels when I smell fynbos and it is such a delight to have that scent in a great bottle of gin. I can take a piece of my home on my travels.”
Where to find Cape Fynbos Gin
Both gins are available online on Takealot and from most bottle stores but in mid-April you will be able to purchase directly from capefynbosgin.com along with many other exclusive products you won’t be able to find anywhere else.
