Wild for Wilderer

Hello!

I thought I’d start my first blog post for Ginformation by honouring a staple in the industry: Wilderer Distillery. Founded in 1995 by German restauranteur, Helmut Wilderer, the distillery has gone from strength to strength. Originally intended to distill Grappa, Wilderer has expanded to include some very exclusive spirits, including their famous Fynbos Gin.

I first tasted their Fynbos Gin at their Spice Route location (accompanied by some delicious flammkuchen I might add) back in September 2017. We were visiting family in the Cape and saying our goodbyes to our loved ones as our bags were packed because in less than a month, in October 2017, we would embark on a year-long Dutch adventure (the birthplace of gin) after my husband accepted a job in Amsterdam.

It was on that day in September 2017, that I took a photo of my gin (together with my husband’s Steelworks), with the beautiful Hottentots-Holland Mountains acting as a backdrop, and wow what a beautiful sight! It was after that that I started to take photos and document the interesting gin combinations that I tried. Admittedly, I’ve tried many more than will feature here, as some of them were taken in very low light and that impacts the quality, but in this particular case, I got it right with Wilderer.

So on to the details: generally, when I try a new gin, I taste it with a simple Indian tonic first, and it was no different with Wilderer. My fynbos gin was served with a simple garnish of mint and lemon and this enabled me to properly taste the fynbos botanicals infused into the gin. The most prominent notes for me personally were honeybush and buchu, but according to others, they tasted a range of botanicals including eucalyptus and anise. Also, this gin is wonderfully versatile, the gentle taste ensures endless gin cocktail possibilities (go take a look at their recipe page) since it pairs well with various tonics and fresh herb and fruit garnishes. For me, I will always prefer it with a plain tonic and a simple garnish in order to taste all the flavours, but the possibilities are endless with this gin.

At the time of writing, Fynbos Wilderer retailed for R299 on the distiller's website.