Home-grown winner: L-Gin captures essence of the Elgin valley
Inspired by the botanicals grown in the Elgin valley, Sue Harper, Isabel Huxter and Ann Claughton created their L-Gin brand to distil the essence of Elgin into a fine handcrafted gin.
The three had been playing around with ideas and recipes since 2015, and this developed into the commercial boutique distillery they have today.
“We now produce four flavours — Lush, Crush, Plush and On-The-Go — of L-Gin craft gin in small batches using the locally grown fruit and locally grown juniper which we are very fortunate to have access to. The water used in our production process is collected from a natural spring in our beautiful valley,” they said.
The women met at the local primary school which their children attended together.
Love of gin connected L’Gin founders
“Elgin is a small community, so people tend to get to know each other quite quickly, but our love of gin is what really got us connected,” they said.
“It has been incredible to get to know each other. We can honestly say we spend more time with each other than we do our own husbands!
We have realised each one of our strengths and weaknesses. What fun it has been getting to know yourself and your partners as well as we do.
“We do as much of the work – from the prepping, to distilling to labelling to bottling – together.”
Why this gin partnership works
Each of the three had her own portfolio in the business, but every decision was taken together, they said.
“It’s very nice that there are three of us in the partnership as all decisions are made democratically – majority goes,” they said.
“Of course, we have had huge ups and downs but we each feel so privileged that we have amazing partners not only to bounce ideas off, but also to take some of the strain off each of us.”
Effect of the lockdown on L-Gin and other brands
As with most liquor brands, the national lockdown did put a strain on L-Gin but Sue, Isabel and Ann tried to stay positive through it all.
“It was hard not to be able to sell our gin, but we decided to take the opportunity to use that time constructively. We eventually developed our website and we played around by distilling various new gins with our four-litre still.
“We also launched our new L-Gin On-The-Go, an idea we have been wanting to implement for two years,” they said.
International awards for L’Gin products
The On-The-Go was awarded the 2020 Michelangelo Wine and Spirits Trophy for the most innovative alternate packaging.
“We were desperate to design a packaging that was convenient and fun,” the women said.
“We wanted to target not only a younger clientele but also those people who are out and about. What better place to do it than the Western Cape, where people are active and enjoy exploring the outdoors.
“This packaging is designed for hikes, picnics or other activities that require light fuss-free gin on the go.”
L-Gin had a successful year at the Michelangelo awards, with each gin walking away with an award and the Plus Gin winning the Michelangelo trophy.
“We have worked so unbelievably hard on our gin and truly feel extremely passionate about our product. How special it is to get that recognition,” the women said.
A true South African gin cocktail
This summer the three gin lovers are sharing one of their favourite L-Gin cocktail recipes.
“For a fun cocktail with our oak-matured Plush gin, add a thin slice of naartjie and a sprig of spekboom. You can plant your spekboom sprig into the garden – never before has drinking gin been kinder to the environment,” they quipped.
Catch L-Gin at the Elgin Railway Market on weekends every day during the festive season.
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