From July until September 2023, Gin School at Indaba Hotel have the beautiful Cape Saint Blaize Artisanal Distillery in the sensorium for tantalising tastings and fun foodie pairings. We love the story behind this gin as well as the full-bodied, rich and refreshing notes of their range of gins, so we had some burning questions for Jason from Cape Saint Blaize Distillery. We sat down with Jason recently to take a deep dive into the brand and learn more about this incredible gin. 

What do you love most about gin?

Why gin?

We were looking for a way to celebrate the diversity of the unique coastal biome of the Garden Route. Using locally sourced and organically farmed botanicals (All hand Foraged) our gin aims to share the spirit of the Garden Route and more importantly the rich mar-time history of Mossel Bay. After many years of operating a successful restaurant, Café Gannet, and Hotel (Protea Hotel by Marriott Mossel Bay) our founder was looking for a dynamic way to harness the full potential of the property. Gin provided us with the opportunity to share the many stories around our location and brand in a way that no other spirit would allow. 

Which of your three gins is the most popular?

Sales across our 3 gins in the Cape Saint Blaize Range are pretty equally spread. So it's very difficult to single one out. We have found that seasonal time can influence which variant is more popular. Cape Saint Blaize Floristic is more popular in Spring, Cape Saint Blaize Classic is more popular in Summer, and Cape Saint Blaize Oceanic is more popular in Autumn.

What's the next step for Cape Saint Blaize?

We have some exciting new products launching throughout the course of the next year. We are also looking forward to rolling out Cape Saint Blaize nationally and increasing the availability of our products. Keep an eye out on our Social for what's to come. 

What is the best way to enjoy your gin?

• Cape Saint Blaize Classic: Enjoy neat on ice or with a quality tonic, curl of lime zest, Cinnamon bark, and a sprig of rosemary. Pairs well with Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic.
• Cape Saint Blaize Floristic: Enjoy neat on ice or with a quality tonic, curl of lemon zest, strawberry slice, and a bouquet of petals. Pairs well with Fever Tree Raspberry & Rhubarb Tonic.
• Cape Saint Blaize Oceanic: Enjoy neat on ice or with a quality tonic, curl of salted orange zest and scattering of fresh berries. Pairs well with Fever Tree Indian Tonic.

The ideal mixing ratio is 1 part Gin to 3 parts Tonic.

Which of your three gins is your favourite?

Again, it's extremely hard to single one out as the Cape Saint Blaize Range truly covers every occasion. Cape Saint Blaize Classic is the perfect choice for a hot Summer's day by the pool. Cape Saint Blaize Floristic is the ideal variant while you admire the setting sun. Cape Saint Blaize Oceanic is the most unique and complex of the 3 and is ideal to make some delicious gin cocktails or paired with ginger ale/ginger beer for something different. Each variant rises to the occasion depending on the mood of your palette.

Who are the people behind this beautiful gin?

The Cape Saint Blaize Distillery was founded by JJ Moorcroft. JJ has always been a firm believer in teamwork and the strength of a passionate team. From humble beginnings, Cape Saint Blaize has grown into a formidable team. 

What was the inspiration behind the flavours and what makes Cape Saint Blaize Gin different from the rest?

Classic

Our founder JJ Moorcroft was explicit in his wants for this variant. He wanted a vibrant full-bodied traditional Dry Gin (A gin for all occasions) Thus, we created a Juniper forward spirit with a refreshing citrus backbone and a long warm spiced finish.

Local and regional botanicals used, such as the fragrant carissa, wild Rosemary, Rose Geranium and Kai Apples compliment and never overpower.

Floristic

With our distillery located at the gateway to the Garden of Eden we are blessed with the availability of local florals, botanicals, and fruits. With this abundance on our doorstep we created the very opposite to our Classic, traditional spices and Juniper take a back seat allowing a local regional profile that is paired with the exotic.

Subtle fragrant aromas of freshly cut flowers such Rose Geranium, Confetti bush, honeyed Blombos are complimented with plump Strawberries and ripe black figs, tempered with Grains of Paradise and Mint Buchu, hints of Cardamom, Saffron and toasted Pistachio.

Oceanic

Not your ordinary Gin, botanicals, seagrasses, and fruits are hand foraged along our sandy shorelines, dune thickets and tidal zones. With the inclusion of the Indian Ocean seawater in our distillation we have created a Gin that is full bodied and mineral rich, coastal Lemon Pelargonium, bittersweet Sour Fig and Milkwood berry add a richness that is tempered with warm fruit notes of caramelized Plum and Cassis. Crisp Sea Asparagus and cold brewed Rooibos adds a calming acidity, fresh Orange peel delivers a marmalade like finish. This gin encompass's the most unique coastal botanical of our region. The bottle's colour is also inspired by the Ochre powder found in the roof trusses of the very building in which we distill. The Ochre barn in which distill is the first commercial building in the Southern Cape and was used to process Ochre in the 1940's. The powders from this era are still visible today. 

If you haven't yet had the chance to taste and enjoy these incredible gins, make sure to book your spot in one of our Gin Tastings, Gin & Chocolate Pairings, or Gin Making Masterclasses before the end of September 2023. You will not be disappointed! We also have the full Cape Saint Blaize Distillery Range on sale in our Gin Sensorium for you to take home and enjoy. BOOK NOW!