THE GIN PASSPORT ATLAS - DISTILLERY STORY- PINNED ON THE MAP - AFRICA
KINSHIP SPIRITS, Stellenbosch, South Africa
The story of Kinship Spirits actually starts with Autograph Gin, established in 2016 by Anthony Norton and Marcel von Aulock. The brand launched with a young Matt Beech as distiller, who came from bartending and mixology and was mentored by South African distilling pioneer Roger Jorgensen.
Autograph quickly made its mark. Its African Dry Gin won the Top Scoring Craft Gin of 2018 at the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, scoring 96 points, and was named Best Gin in Africa by The Gin Guide in 2019.
The original gin was very much of its place, using botanicals including citrus buchu, naartjies, Cape roughskin lemon, wild rosemary, confetti bush and African wormwood. The concept was essentially a London Dry built around an African garden.
The business has since evolved into Kinship Spirits, a South African spirits house rather than simply a gin brand. The legal entity remains Autograph (Pty) Ltd, now trading as Kinship Spirits Company, with Grant Rushmere and David Schärli listed as directors. Grant is described as the founder of Kinship and previously founded BOS Ice Tea and Afro Coffee.
The distillery remains at 13 Distillery Road, Bosman's Crossing, Stellenbosch, a site with a long history of spirits production.
By the time I visited, the range had been streamlined, with several of the older expressions and brands retired.
On my trip to Cape Town in February 2025 I met up with Petrus Bekker in Stellenbosch at Kinship Spirits Distillery, where he talked me through the current range and what was happening behind the scenes.
Their spirits are very much a family collective, with each one telling a different story through its branding, ingredients and South African connections.
Malachite Fynbos Gin is a celebration of the Cape Floral Kingdom, using locally sourced fynbos alongside classic gin botanicals. The name doesn't come from the green stone, as I initially assumed, but from the Malachite Sunbird, which feeds on and pollinates the flowers of the Cape fynbos.
The botanicals include pelargonium, which was a new one for me and brings a lovely lime and citrus character. The base spirit is grape, which seems entirely appropriate given its Stellenbosch home.
The six-sided bottle represents the six floral kingdoms of the world, bringing the story through into the packaging.
Their workhorse gin, Distillery Road, comes in a bright yellow bottle and is particularly popular with cocktail bars.
The wider core range includes Elephantom Rum, inspired by the legendary lone elephant of the Knysna Forest, Albatross Vodka, made from Cape grapes, and Riempie Whisky, which has since joined the portfolio.
"From Autograph to Kinship"
Thank you to Petrus for spending time with me and bringing me up to date with all their news and plans.
The distillery has come a long way from its Autograph beginnings and is definitely one to keep an eye on.
If you're in Stellenbosch, pop in for a drink and a chat.
Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story.
