A really good news South African story as not only are non-alcoholic spirits a hot topic right now, but it’s also a huge deal for a local, Cape Town-based brand to have done so well on a global scale and at such a prestigious and well-known drinks awards too.
Western Cape, South Africa (27 January 2021) – Local premium non-alcoholic spirits, Abstinence (Cape Spice, Cape Citrus and Cape Fynbos, as well as Abstinence Blood Orange Aperitif), have all taken home medals at the inaugural international Low-and No Alcohol Masters Competition of 2021.
Hosted by the globally-renowned drinks authority, The Spirits Business, the blind tastings took place in the UK, first neat and then with the suggested mixer pairing.
Abstinence competed with just over 50 entries in the White Spirits category (0.5% ABV and Under), taking home two Gold Medals (for Abstinence Cape Citrus and Cape Spice) and a silver medal for the newly-launched Cape Fynbos.
The judges were particularly impressed with Abstinence Cape Spice, remarking: “Dried floral notes and woody, bark, slightly sweet spice. The palate neat is quite nice; there is a touch of bitterness and a little hit of spice on the back of the mouth. Tonic brings out a lovely sweetness that compliments the woody notes of the sample. Quite refreshing, could be used for more grown-up complex zero ABV cocktails”.
Abstinence Blood Orange Apéritif competed against 27 entrants in the Non‐Alcoholic Apéritifs Category (0.5% ABV and Under) and impressed the judges with “light aromas of blood orange on the nose, and the introduction of bitterness on the palate”.
As a top performer in the category, Abstinence also achieved a Gold medal.
The Abstinence team has even more reasons to celebrate (for which they suggest pairing Abstinence Blood Orange Apéritif with a non-alcoholic bubbly): they’ve also recently been named The Pick n Pay Small Supplier of the Year in recognition of their passion, dedication, and achievements in building the non-alcoholic category in 2020.
Says Operations Director, Pierre Strydom, “We’re so proud to receive global recognition for the effort that goes into producing a spirit that wins based on flavour and contains no sugar, no alcohol and no colourants, as that’s no easy feat. Abstinence is made through hydro distillation – we extract the botanicals maceration and infusion, and then we distil. Without alcohol, we have to add a lot more of each indigenous hero botanical – Citrus, Honeybush, Rose Geranium and Buchu – to achieve the flavour profile we are looking for. We also use an array of spices including Coriander, Juniper, Angelica Root, Cardamom and Cassia.”
Rowan Leibbrandt of Truman & Orange, said, “As Abstinence’s distribution partner, we’re obviously thrilled that this premium local product is gaining international recognition. Non-alcoholic spirits are really exciting because they aren’t meant to replace alcoholic drinks. Rather, they add diversity and more options so that when you aren’t drinking, you don’t have to compromise on flavour or ingredients. You can experiment with mixers, garnish and flavour combinations to create perfectly balanced cocktails, just as you would with an alcoholic spirit. The taste and drinking experience are so comparable that it’s possible to switch between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks easily.”
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