THE GIN PASSPORT ATLAS - DISTILLERY STORY- PINNED ON THE MAP - AFRICA
DEEP SOUTH DISTILLERY, Cape Town, South Africa
While I was out in South Africa I visited a few gin distilleries and had the privilege of meeting and chatting all things gin with several distillers.
One of them was Steve Erlank, who owns Deep South Distillery in Kommetjie.
The name Deep South comes from the southern end of the Cape Peninsula, the area south of the Old Cape Road and stretching towards Cape Point. It is a beautiful part of Cape Town, with fynbos-covered mountains, beaches and sea, and a distinctly different feel from the city itself.
Steve's route into distilling is an interesting one. He worked in IT and as a systems analyst, became a university lecturer and later ran his own training business before deciding that retirement needed a little more excitement!
His inspiration came from a grapefruit schnapps that disappeared from the market. He bought a small copper still and started experimenting at home, eventually turning the hobby into a business.
Getting Deep South open wasn't straightforward, with Steve spending almost two years navigating the licensing process. The distillery opened to the public in 2017 and has since grown into a successful micro-distillery and contract producer.
Today they make gin, rum, vodka, bitters, absinthe and other spirits, alongside their own range. They also produce for other brands, which gives them plenty of scope to experiment.
We were made very welcome and spent the afternoon in the courtyard, tasting, chatting and learning more about what Steve has built.
Deep South has four main gin profiles under its own label: Cape Dry, Spice Island, Three Citrus and Ruby.
Cape Dry is the juniper-forward classic, while Spice Island brings the warmth of spices. Three Citrus does exactly what it says on the tin, with citrus taking centre stage.
Then there's Ruby, which was my standout. It uses botanicals including rose pelargonium, lavender, honeybush, cassia and hibiscus, giving it a gorgeous floral character. For me, it leans towards Turkish Delight and is absolutely delicious.
They've also picked up some impressive awards along the way.
Cape Dry won Gin of the Year at the 2019 London Spirits Competition, while Ruby won Gold in 2018 and Spice Island took Double Gold at the 2020 SA Craft Gin Awards. The range has continued to collect medals internationally.
Steve also talked about plans for a new site nearby, which would give the business more room to grow. It was still in the planning stages when I visited, so I'll be interested to see what happens.
If you're ever in Kommetjie, drop in for a tasting or to pick up a few bottles.
Thank you to Steve for making us so welcome. I look forward to visiting again and seeing the new site too!
"DEEP SOUTH — THE GIN WITH THE UPSIDE-DOWN PENGUIN"
Atlas Note:
🐧 When Steve was developing the Deep South brand, he wanted the identity to pay tribute to Kommetjie and the place they call the Deep South, so rather than finding a local designer, they went global.
A competition on 99designs attracted 251 designs from around the world, with the winning concept coming from Ukrainian designer Anastasiia Krasilnikova.
The result was that wonderfully quirky upside-down penguin, which has become Deep South's unmistakable signature.
Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story.
