Simon Von Witt, the founder of The Woodstock Gin Co.,and his team will be at the agency tomorrow, 20 May, to host their very first How To Friday session.
Their story first began in 2012 when Simon realised he had a knack and passion for producing fine liqueurs. Being adventurous by nature, Simon began experimenting with a variety of different botanicals to produce a high quality South African gin. Simon’s passion for the environment, knowledge of local fynbos and indigenous plant species, along with assistance from a well informed source enabled him to gauge the correct ratios of botanicals and create Woodstock Gin Company’s Inception.
We had a chat with Simon who had the following to say: “I absolutely love Limoncello, and after teaching English in Italy for a year, I really wanted to bring it back to SA and make it here. After playing around with liqueurs for a few years, we decided to make a gin and never gave up until we got it right.”
What were some of the highs you have experienced?
- Making that first sale at a market
- Getting repeat orders from private clients
- Receiving praise from chefs and distillers
- Our first export order
- Selling 1700 bottles in a month
“But I must say that winning an independent tasting competition against three top gins was definitely one of the biggest highlights to date.”
And the lows?
- Waiting 8 months for a licence,
- 5 months for a warehouse number,
- Monthly cash flow,
- Running out of juniper berries,
- Power outages
And of course we had to ask… What is your favourite gin combo?
“Inception beer distilled with orange rind and cinnamon bark, however, The Gin Bar’s Ambition a close second.”
