OUR STORY
Our founding members are Matt van Wyk and our Secret Distilling Scientist whose name must remain well, secret!
As gin lovers we often found ourselves debating the merits (and demerits) of the gins we tried and our collective curiosity led us to try uncover more about this wonderful drink. However, even in today’s world of instant information at one’s fingertips, gin making remains a bit of a mystery. How is it made, what flavours do different botanicals impart, what strength is it distilled at, should it be macerated...? The more we uncovered the more interested we became until we came to the realisation that we simply had to apply all this knowledge in a direct and meaningful way by making our own gin. Our second and even more profound realisation was that we didn’t simply want to make a few bottles for our own consumption. We wanted to share our vision of everything a good gin embodies with South Africa.
Just as South Africa has come to expect that alcoholic beverages come from the Cape we decided to buck that trend and set up ‘shop’ on the outskirts of Bedfordview where we can remain hands on through our proximity to home and work. Our name: (Gin)ologist derives from the Greek word meaning to ‘speak’ knowledgeably on a subject or topic. In other words – an expert. This essentially encapsulates all we stand for and strive for: to be experts on Gin and through that expertise to bring joy to others.
From the very start, we developed and continue to develop our gins on scientific, replicable methodology through our, all glass distillation straight-out of a lab set-up, and this scientific process has enabled our flavour profiles that are unmatched in terms of intensity and quality. In our distillation process we recognise the differences between the botanicals we use and distil them accordingly. Without giving away any of our secrets, our process is designed to treat every single part of the recipe with the respect it deserves to unlock the best possible aromas and flavours, hence the different ways our production is treated. Suffice it to say that we utilise number of different processes often only seen in the biggest of international distilleries in order to achieve a superior end result.
Our philosophy that gin and the gin drinking experience can be as simple or as complex as one chooses has defined our drive to develop gins of unquestionable quality and character which in turn drives our relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction.
It took months to develop our formulas and after 15 test batches we created something unique and worthy of the Ginologist Seal of quality. Our scientific background gave us the knowledge to do rapid product development. Our final thought is that we source for quality and freshness and give local suppliers preference where possible. In the final analysis if we take pride in the passion and belief that every single person associated with Ginologist has for the Brand and the company.
