The art of gifting Buying a gift for a guy is easy and the presentation not at all important – well certainly from guy to guy. However, gifting a woman...
Raise your glass to an unforgettable celebration of flavour, music, and magical moments at the Rooftop Gin Festival hosted by Rosebank Mall on Saturday, 14 December 2024. This must-attend event promises an exhilarating mix...
The distillery’s journey began in 2017 when two long-time friends embarked on a new adventure driven by their passion for quality spirits and strong work ethics. Their venture, West Coast...
Deep South Distillery, situated in Kommetjie in the heart of the Cape Peninsula, continues to gain accolades, medals and awards for its innovative range of artisanal spirits. The distillery specialises...
Gin is probably the most versatile of all the spirits and I am always excited to find new distilleries and sample their wares. The Juniper Lab Distillery has been my...
The Cape Fynbos Wines and Spirits first became famous for their excellent gin and its beautiful packaging and labelling. More recently they have introduced a very funky range of carbonated...
If you’re a connoisseur of superior spirits and have an appreciation of impeccable artistry, you must try West Coast Distillers. Located in the charming seaside town of Langebaan on the...
Deep South Distillery, situated in Kommetjie, is a warm, friendly, and much loved craft distillery with a mission to make the world a better place one sip at a time....
Established in 2015, Cape Town Gin Company produces four different delicious gins. Craig van der Venter, the founder of the company, is proudly South African and has a love for...
Boutique distilleries are all the rage with a fire being lit under a new still every other week. Most of these distillers focus on gin because it can be distilled...
Clarens is one of South Africa’s most picturesque towns thanks to its location in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains and to the town’s neat layout and great attractions. One...
Last Saturday’s hot and sultry afternoon was ideal for the 2023 Bridge Street Brewery (BStB) Bubbly and Gin Tasting Festival. At times the cool interior of BStB was a pleasant...
Micro distilleries, also known as boutique or craft distilleries for marketing purposes, became viable in South Africa in 2003 and the consequence has been fantastic on so many levels including...
Monks Distillery, located on the banks of the Breede River at the foot of Bains Kloof Pass, is South Africa’s first off grid distillery. Nic and Di Davis began their...
Established in 2005 Qualito Craft Distillery is a small batch craft distillery, located in Phalaborwa. Here a great variety of gins, vodkas, whiskies and vodka fusions are created by Master...
Thanks to the amazing offering from West Coast Distillers, whether you are a casual home or a pro bartender, you have at your disposal the best ingredients to impress your...
Tracing its history back to around 2010, Copper Republic Distilling Company has been quietly amassing local and international awards for its unique take on what a good whisky, gin and...
Noon Gun Brewery and their newly opened Tap Room is located at Capricorn Business Park in Muizenberg, Cape Town and has been producing brews since 2015. Recently they gained international...
World Gin Day, celebrated on the 2nd Saturday of June every year, is a day for everyone and anyone (of legal drinking age, of course) to celebrate, indulge and enjoy...
Six Dogs is one of South Africa’s great boutique distilleries. There slogan, “Born to Explore”, is a clear indication that this not a mundane distillery. Having been an ardent fan...
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...
Wawu Tonic is a product of the award winning Richmond Hill Brewing Company (RHBC) and was originally created to complement their Pretty Poison Gin. Wawu Tonic comes in two forms...
Two boxes of Six Dogs Distillery’s Honey Lime Gin recently arrived at my doorstep for the 2021 Thirsty Traveler Annual Spirit Tasting. I had been awaiting this order with some...
Kwande Craft Gin is the brainchild of Lunga Tukani who was inspired to become a gin purveyor because he believes in making his aspirations real. This London Style Gin was...
Thirsty Traveler is all about South African gin, vodka, wine, brandy, beer and more.
We love to travel and we love to sample the wares of the craft brewer, distiller and wine maker.
In the mid 1900’s, governments worldwide almost killed off the art of distilling and brewing. The thousands of micro, boutique or craft distilleries and breweries that had been handed down from father to son were banned and destroyed and large corporations obtained the sole rights to distill mediocre, mass produced, but well-marketed spirits.
Craft gin, vodka, wine, brandy, beer and other spirits.
Thankfully laws around the world are being liberalised and craftsmen, with their passion for perfection and their desire to explore are producing amazing gin, vodka, wine, brandy, beer and other spirits.
Winemaking in South Africa had a terrible reputation until the 1980’s when many farmers decided to establish their own brands and produce their own wine. Competition, inspiration and a hard work ensure that today South African wines are some of the best in the world.
For those of you, who enjoy something special and want to pair their spirits, brew or wine with their food, mood and the atmosphere, there are new delightful, well-crafted and very special products appearing on shelves and more importantly, in on-line stores.
At the Thirsty Traveler, we take our food, brews, wine and spirits very seriously and, at times, light-heartedly too. Thus, in the true spirit of investigative journalism, we embarked on some very careful research into South Africa’s wines, brews and spirits.
Tastings
We frequently conduct tastings of gin, vodka, wine, brandy, beer and other well crafted spirits.
Each Heritage Day we invite micro brewers from around the country to send us their wares for a tasting. We and the brewers have had great success with these tastings in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
We also conduct regular tastings of wines, gins and other spirits.
Read on to find out more about what South Africa has to offer those with discerning taste buds.
My mother was a Cordon Bleu chef and insisted that we eat with a near Victorian array of cutlery and crockery every night. As a young adult, I learned to appreciate the dedication and art of good cooking and as I came of age, I realised how a glass of wine and even more so, good conversation, could make a meal complete.
As a teenager our family took a holiday to the Winelands and I was in awe of the beauty, heritage and sophistication of South Africa’s wine industry. Although not yet 18 I started to collect wines.
Lagers and pilsners where the beer universe for Generation X South Africans. When I traveled through Europe in the ‘90s I was disgusted by warm English beer, revolted by Irish stouts and Belgian sours where the worst thing that my delicate palate had ever encountered.
However, like Copernicus my view has expanded. I have discovered that the beer universe does not rotate around a cold lager. In fact I have since discovered that the beer universe is literally limitless. My Dark Age view on beer progressed into a Renaissance of awaking and then hyper-drived to an unbridled voyage of discovery.
As a student in the ‘90s I thought I was rather chic because I drank J&B rather than Bells and even sampled Campari. It was not until I visited the Oban Distillery in Scotland that I learned about Single Malt Scotch and I entered a whole new world of discovery.
When I first visited the New World I discovered Bourbon and that it too has a proud heritage. On a visit to Cuba I learned that Rum was not just a compliment to Coke, and that, after 12 years of aging, is as sublime as a Scotch.
Today I remain in awe of the craftsman who, with passion, skill and experience, produce such nuanced flavours and aromas in wine, beer and spirts. This website is about my journey of discovery and also of return visits to old favorites.
© 2024 THIRSTY TRAVELER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
© 2021 THIRSTY TRAVELER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED