Meet the Maker: Triple Three Distillery

Triple Three distillery produce three gins, as their name would suggest. Each with a unique flavour that I was lucky enough to sample after being led on a tour through the estate by their sales and operations manager, Florian Leykauf.

The very best botanicals

This distillery is very particular about their flavours and botanicals, sourcing only the best quality ingredients to create a top-notch gin.

Their juniper is region specific, coming from the Italian mountainside. The juniper profile was hand-selected for this gin which is why, in their confidence in the quality of the tiny blackberry, they crafted one of their three gins based on just this note alone. It seems odd at first but then you consider the amount of perfection required to create a simple flavour profile, which indicates the high quality of their spirit. The best part about the juniper gin is the way one is able to build upon it in as simple or complex a way as each palette desires, making it ideal for cocktails.

Tasting Triple Three gins

In our tasting, we sampled the juniper gin neat at first, exploring the bold and juniper notes that were heavy on the nose and mouth. From there, Florian began construction upon those flavours. He began with bruised basil, which slowly started to expand the taste profile. He then added a little lime zest, which brought up fruitiness and finally, a blueberry which introduced sweetness. It was like tasting magic – and these multifaceted flavours are the exact reason that I fell in love with gin in the first place.

The next gin in their range is the African botanicals which contain both khakibos (khaki bush) and rooibos botanicals. I owned and finished my own bottle a while back and began experimenting with the ginger profile in the gin. I must say that khakibos flavour is quite a tough one to crack, particularly with the botanicals I was pairing it with.

I was surprised to find that when this gin was served to me over ice, it presented an almost entirely different taste to the one I had been experiencing at home. Florian then added some fresh prickly pear, which once more altered the flavour to become sweet and refreshing with no medicinal taste at all.

Finally their citrus gin, which contains their very own citrus botanicals grown right there on the Blaauwklippen farm. This gin was summery and refreshing. I do have to admit that by the time I got to sample this one, I was a little buzzed from the other gins, but I do remember it being delightful to drink.

When asked which his personal favourite was; Florian laughed saying that it depended on the day. Citrus is good for hot weather, African Botanicals is good to keep you warm in cooler weather and juniper, for any other occasion!

Exploring the estate

Both before and after the gin tasting, we were led around the stunning farm which has a fascinating history, with historical buildings dotted all over. The distillery itself is unlike any other. Their towering silver still was something to behold. It's always strange to imagine that these shiny inanimate objects are able to create the beauty and joy that is gin.

We also got to see the variety of containers that the various distilled gins were all resting in. I gave them a brief loving touch, wishing them well on their journey to being bottled and becoming the life of other people's parties. Ok I lie, I didn't do that, but I was in awe of the massive tankers containing liquid happiness all around me

Pop around for a day trip

For any gin lovers looking for a lovely day out, I definitely recommend stopping in for a tasting at Triple Three. Wine is available for anyone who isn't into spirits and then, of course, there is food, huge grounds and ample parking as the estate often hosts large scale events. For more info on where to find Triple Three, check out their website here.

Read the original Meet the Maker on SamSamButDifferent.