OUR STORIES
Our location in the Deep South
The Deep South is the name affectionately given, by the people who live there, to that part of the peninsula south of the Old Cape Road (Oukaapseweg) as far as Cape Point Nature Reserve. This beautiful area, with its fynbos-clad mountains stretching southwards in a jagged spine towards Cape Point, and bordered by white beaches and blue sea, lends its name and identity to the southern-most distillery in Cape Town.
Although the Deep South was once relatively remote, it now comprises a collection of interconnected, bustling, thriving communities offering the village-like lifestyles of Noordhoek, Kommetjie and Scarborough on the west coast, the small port-feel of Kalk Bay and Simonstown, all ranged around the commercial centre of Fish Hoek. Burgeoning development in the whole valley has seen widespread human settlement that links the whole valley together.
The people of the Deep South are a diverse and sometimes quirky lot, ranging across the spectrum from artists to zoologists, captains of industry, tradespeople, crafters, fisherfolk, musicians, artisans, restauranteurs, surfers, builders and shopkeepers.
This makes Kommetjie the perfect place to locate a quirky, interesting, versatile, and quite professional little business that brings together the art of flavour making, the science of distilling and practice of enjoying great spirits in the company of good friends.
Our distillery is located in a small industrial area on the road that links Kommetjie to the rest of the Cape. The distillery is artisanal, which means that it manufactures premium spirits in small batches, for discerning lovers of craft spirits. Being artisanal, many activities such as fermentation and distillation are very hands-on, and bottling and labelling are done by hand. The manufacture, settling and maturation of our spirits is allowed to unfold at an unhurried pace, and even the distillery tour and tasting are conducted at a leisurely pace.
The result is an authentic, personalised craft experience, and exceptional spirits that are made with care and passion.
Deep South Distillery finally opened its doors to the public in December 2017, although we only became fully operational towards the end of 2018. Both of our gins are gold medal winners, and we have a growing reputation for much more than making great spirits that pay fitting tribute to the unique flora and surroundings of the Cape Peninsula.
We are a warm, friendly craft distillery that shares knowledge and fun in equal measure and well on track to fulfilling our mission: to make the world a better place, one sip at a time.
But Steve had developed an interest in distilling when his favourite grapefruit schnapps went off the market, and he decided to make his own. He bought a small copper alembic still, attended a starter training workshop with 
By 2016, and having recently sold his successful training business, he retired from corporate life, went into partnership in building a beautiful catamaran, and embarked on a few sailing adventures in the Indian ocean with friends and family, while he contemplated the possibilities of opening a craft distillery, a long-held dream. Much research into Indian Ocean island rum was conducted on his travels, which continued in South Africa and abroad with visits to distilleries, trade shows, festivals and events, conducting intensive research and just co-incidentally sampling many craft spirits along the way.
