Lock, stock and wine barrel: Cruxland Gin

There is an irony in South Africa producing the world’s best London Dry Gin.

After final tastings by acclaimed judges all over the world, Cruxland Gin was named the world’s best London Dry Gin at the 2020 World Gin Awards in London last week.

This is the first time in history a South African gin has secured this title, competing against entries from England, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, China, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Belgium and Sweden.

The SA-made tipple also scored a category win during the awards’ first-round results in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Cruxland Gin.

According to Anita Ujszaszi, awards director for the World Gin Awards, over 150 gin brands from 39 countries entered this year’s London Dry Gin category.

“Judges unanimously agreed that Cruxland is tremendously clean and well-balanced, with a beautiful fragrance. A fantastic example of a London Dry Gin.

“Considering the increased number of high-quality entries, our international judging panel was very impressed.”

Gin has showed its staying power and the Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel GinFest was held in Centurion last weekend.

Roku Gin.

This weekend the Joburg Gin and Tonic Festival at Casalinga Ristorante in Muldersdrift is rolling out the carpet for some of SA’s best gin producers.

International gins are also making their way into SA.

Roku Gin from Japan has been introduced, with good sales. It is crafted by meticulous and detailed Japanese artisans, using six unique botanicals and eight traditional gin botanicals.

The Japanese botanicals include the sakura flower, sakura leaf, sencha tea, gyokuro tea, sansho pepper and yuzu peel.

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