Gin has been popular across Africa since the spirit reached the continent's shores during the colonial era in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Africans have been brewing traditional beverages like palm wine and mead for centuries, but it took until the 2010s for the craft gin era to begin. Although African gins are yet to make an impact on the global stage, some brands have captured the imagination of local markets by instilling a distinctly local spin on their spirits using indigenous botanicals and weaving culture and heritage directly into their narratives.
The use of ingredients like Madagascar pink peppercorns or palm sap means these gins offer complex flavor profiles I have not experienced in any other spirit. Spearhead Spirits’ Bayab Gin is one such expression. Founded by Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin, the Black-owned company distils its products in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using local ingredients such as baobab fruit.
The brand features a portfolio of four expressions that highlight regional flavors: Bayab Dry Gin, Rose Water, Orange & Marula, and Palm & Pineapple, embodying the innovative flavor pairings that set these spirits apart.
“Africa was a place that was underexplored,” Timeyin told me. “And I think for that reason, African gins weren’t necessarily something that people cared about or knew much about. But as people look for different flavors from around the world, they’re looking at Africa as a place that is giving them something new.”
At Kenya’s Bartenders Week in Nairobi last September, I had the opportunity to visit both the Procera Gin and Kenyan Original distilleries to learn about their craft gins. As a gin lover, I wondered why I hadn’t heard more about these brands, especially given their exceptional flavor profiles.
Procera was founded by Guy Brennan and Alan Murungi in 2018, and they partnered with the late, great master distiller Roger Jorgensen to create their small-batch gins. Forgoing the traditional European way of making gin, they opted to use fresh African juniper and a slew of other indigenous ingredients, including orris root, coriander, Swahili lime, and acacia honey.
The portfolio consists of three premium gin expressions: Blue Dot, Green Dot, and Red Dot, with a steep price point that ranges from $100 to $200. Blue Dot is the best, with its nutty and woody juniper notes making an excellent gin and tonic. You can taste the freshness of the juniper and the pepper with a smooth citrus undertone that lingers in your mouth. At the award-winning Hero bar in Nairobi, the “Kijabe Kayama,” made with Procera Gin, lemon, fresh green juniper, holy basil, and gomme syrup, is a well-balanced sour and herbal cocktail. It’s delicious.
To understand African gin, you have to go to South Africa, where the movement started. Today, the country has over 300 gin labels, pioneered by Inverroche Distillery and Musgrave Spirits, which chose to use indigenous flora such as rooibos and fynbos from the Cape Floral Kingdom rather than juniper. Inverroche, the first distillery to infuse gin with fynbos, is the gin that Sin + Tax co-owner Julian Short loves to use in cocktails.
“There have been so many South African gins over the years. The standout is Inverroche,” Short said. “Inverroche is very overpowering and has its own unique flavor. It’s not necessarily three-dimensional. It’s a bit one-dimensional, but not in a bad way. It’s just its own flavor. Like if you make a martini, it’s very clearly an Inverroche martini. I’ve grown to love it because it’s got beautiful South African flavors and tells a very South African story.”
That being said, I wonder why it took me so long to learn about these gins. The quality is there to compete with most craft gins. While Procera might cost you a pretty penny, other brands like Inverroche, Bayab, and Six Dogs Gin range between $30 and $60 per bottle. People spend good money on whisky and rum, so why not gin? Maybe the tariffs are too hefty a price to pay for these small-batch distilleries in the already oversaturated gin market.
One thing is for sure: African gins are slowly making a name for themselves; they merely need a chance to captivate drinkers beyond their borders.
