ONE Gin to Christmas: New Harbour Distillery Gin – Spekboom

New Harbour Distillery Gin – Spekboom // iGwanitsha Gin

South Africa’s Carbon Neutral Craft Distillery

It’s a beautiful day in the African bushveld and a perfect day for a local (and indigenous) gin. As I enjoy the last selection of the Daily Drams gin advent calendar I couldn’t have asked for a better stage to showcase this product.

About the Distillery

New Harbour Distillery is a company of creative scientific individuals who manufacture high quality artisan spirits, mainly Vodka and Gin. Their spirits are handcrafted in small batch using a combination of modern innovative and experimental distilling techniques, which is a harder way to distil, but in the end produces a product in our eyes that is vastly more authentic and superior.

At New Harbour Distillery they follow a strict carbon neutral philosophy. This means all their by-products are recycled and reused in their distillery and greenhouse, and supplied to city farms as fertiliser, animal feed and general cleaner. In return they source fresh and natural ingredients for their Vodka infusions and Gin selections from these organic farms and suppliers as well as grow their own fresh natural ingredients on site with a hydroponic greenhouse.

About the gin

Spekboom Gin is produced using only the best grain neutral spirit, rectified using our copper catalysation process. The main botanical is the leaf of the Spekboom tree or in Xhosa, called iGwanitsha. It is known as the wonderplant and can remove 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per year, is edible and very high in Vitamin C.

Spekboom Gin is made in two parts combining 6 Botanicals in a carter head, with a technique called vapour infusion, to increase the fine delicate oral lavender and pine notes. Our second technique known as vacuum distillation combines fresh Cape lemon peel and Spekboom leaves under vacuum. This reduces the boiling point of alcohol resulting in fresher flavoured single botanical distillations. Both blends are mixed back together according to taste forming a smooth crystal clear 8 Botanical Gin.

Appearance:
Clear, transparent

Aroma:
Fresh hints of pine, eucalyptus and Coriander combine with oral lavender fragrances in a clear but complex nose.

Taste:
Silky smooth with a burst of Juniper opens the middle pallet into hints of lemon citrus set against fresh green flavours.

Aftertastes:
Long and lingering a oral notes provided by the addition of lavender.

A herbaceous gin filled to the brim with botanicals and robust aromas (oh, how I wish this sample was slightly bigger).

About Spekboom

Portulacaria afra is a South African succulent that is widespread across the country. Portulacaria afra is often referred to as Spekboom (in Afrikaans) or Porkbush (in English) and is part of the Portulacaceae family.

It is often seen growing on rocky slopes and in the bushveld. This plant is so well adapted to the dry, harsh conditions of the African bushveld that it can easily thrive where most plants falter. It has small, round leaves that are a bright green color, but can fade yellow depending on the climate and geography. Not only is the Spekboom attractive, hardy, and fast growing, but it is also excellent at storing carbon, a trait that has pushed this plant into the spotlight. Research conducted on the plant estimates that an average cluster of Spekboom have the capabilities to store up to 4 tons of carbon per year. Carbon is released into the atmosphere because of the burning of fossil fuels.

The obvious choice of an icon for the New Harbour Distillery, the Spekboom, to promote their carbon neutral policy. Because even though it’s Christmas, we still promote responsible drinking (on more than one level!).

Follow New Harbour Distillery on Twitter or visit New Harbour Distillery website or @NewHarbourDistillery on Facebook for more information. Also follow them on Instagram, for some refreshing gintail inspiration.