When I popped the cork on the Ginsala bottle, I was transported…back to my hometown of Durban in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The aromas of Indian markets wafted up through the neck of the bottle - curry, really? And not just any curry, but specifically Durban Masala, with its complex blend of coriander, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and a host of other spices. Durban hosts one of the largest Indian populations outside of India, and all aspects of the culture pervade the city.
That was back before the pandemic, eons ago, and I was on mission to try all the craft gins that had emerged in the 3 years since I had last been in South Africa. I planned to visit each distillery and taste the spirits in person. Finally, a year later, after surviving (so far) one of the most draconian lockdowns in the world, which included two total alcohol bans that lasted months, I was able to connect with the man who put the curry masala in the gin!
Alex and Tamryn Etchells of Blackstrap Craft Distillery
I met up with Alex Etchells and his wife Tamlyn at Blackstrap Craft Distillery in Ballito, up the KwaZulu Natal coast from Durban. The distillery sits between the very upscale Alchemy Bar on one side and Alchemy Kitchen on the other.
Perched at a small counter in the distillery, with the tiny, original alembic copper still on the windowsill and the 100 litre stainless steel column still behind him, Alex talked of his passion for the business. What started as a hobby, with the idea of making his own rum, quickly became all-consuming. The original flavor profile he was aiming for was informed by a childhood memory of Indian women on the Durban beachfront selling pineapple on a skewer, sprinkled liberally with chili, a very Durban taste.
First, he tried fermenting pineapples, a ubiquitous fruit along the coast. But there are too many variables that affect pineapples to have consistent results. It was a natural progression to molasses, as the KZN coastal region grows sugar cane as far as the eye can see. But Alex didn’t want to strip out all the unique molasses flavors and settled on just two stripping runs, making the spirits “almost” neutral, perfecting his system to leave a hint of cane fields in the spirit.
All the while experimenting with rum, Alex watched as the craft gin industry exploded.
Still with his original flavor profile in his mind, Alex went to his business partner, Theo Vermaak and said, “I’d really like to make a curry gin. Theo looked at me like I was mad!” But the decision was made to move forward with his “mad” idea. The idea was to provide a unique Durban terroir to the Blackstrap spirits.
Alex and Andile in the Alchemy bar
It took the best part of 18 months to finally get it right. Using the molasses base he had perfected, the experimentation started off using basic, packaged curry powders, settling on Durban Masala Curry. “The unique flavor profile works with juniper,” Alex said. But he felt that using the packaged curries was too much like home distilling and started doing single vapor infusions, per flavor or spice, and then blending.
He continued, “One day I thought, this is a hell of a process! I’m going to try to do a single infusion, one shot!” He said it came out OK, but needed tweaking, especially balancing the highly aromatic cloves, which dominated.
Comments came back, “This is a great Christmas gin.” Frustrated, he would tell them he’s not trying to make a Christmas gin. He realized that because the cloves are so strong, they can’t be included in his percentage-based formula or recipe. Now, for each 100 liters, he carefully counts out just 6 cloves and the result is spectacular.
Currently, primary fermentation is done off-site, as the strong molasses smell can be overpowering and fermentation in the small distillery affected customers in the bar!
Producing just 100 liters per batch, 85% of the Ginsala is consumed in Alchemy bar, which initially offered just a handful of locally produced gins. After just a couple of years, the bar now offers almost 300 varieties, as well as more than 40 Alchemy cocktails developed by the head barman, Andile Somi, who has worked alongside Alex from almost the beginning.
Alex’s rum dream didn’t fade away or get eclipsed by Ginsala. Blackstrap Spiced Rum starts with the molasses-based almost neutral spirit and on the third distillation, Cassia bark is infused and blended with a locally sourced “rhum agricole style spirit.” The resulting blend is aged in American Oak barrels which provides added depth and the lovely golden color. Once again, the local molasses and rhum agricole give the rum its own terroir, joining Ginsala as an East Coast Original.
“Blackstrap is Alchemy. Alchemy is Blackstrap”
As many small craft distilleries do, Blackstrap does some contract distilling, and not just gin or Rum. Zu Vodka is a popular vodka in the local market and is presented in a stunning black matte bottle. Blackstrap also distils two gins, expressly for the bar. One is Alchemy Pink, a very floral gin which is popular in Andile’s cocktails and the other, a delightfully smooth citrus gin.
With hopes of the economy opening up, plans are afoot to expand Blackstrap Craft Distillery, with a 400 litre multi-column still on order. All distilling will be off-site, but the small still will remain at the current premises.
Although Theo is no longer a partner in Blackstrap Craft Distillery, he and Alex remain partners in Alchemy Bar and Kitchen. Said Alex, “Blackstrap is Alchemy. Alchemy is Blackstrap.”
Blackstrap Craft Distillery
Phone: 032 648 0032
Email: info@blackstrapcraft.com
Address:
398 & 445 Main Road,
Ballito Unit 55A,
Ballito Lifestyle Centre,
Ethekwini, 4004