All in the family
Family owned & operated
In the rugged coastal reaches of the Western Cape, near the kelp forests of False Bay, lies Black Current Spirits, our South African artisan distillery that marries Cape fynbos heritage with extreme marine engineering. Our flagship project, known as “The400,” is the most ambitious spirit experiment in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Distillery: Black Current Spirits
Located in a converted whaling station, Black Current Spirits is a three-person operation. We specialize in “Slow-Infusion” gins using botanicals foraged by hand from the slopes of the Groot Winterhoek mountains and We specialize in “Slow-Infusion” gins using botanicals foraged by hand from the slopes of the Groot Winterhoek mountains and meticulously sourced botanicals.. While we produce a range of acclaimed spirits, “The400” is our singular obsession—a gin designed to be “tempered by the Cape of Storms.”
The400
“The400” begins its life far from the ocean.
The400
- The Foundation: The base is a 20-year-old pot-still gin. It was distilled two decades ago with heavy juniper and African ginger, then left to rest in retired Chenin Blanc French Oak barrels. Over 20 years, the harsh botanicals mellowed into a complex, brandy-like spirit with notes of dried apricot and toasted rooibos.
- The Final Transformation: In 2024, the aged spirit was finally bottled into 400 heavy-walled, light-shielding amber glass bottles, ready for the “Deep-Pressure Phase.”
The Engineering: The "Agulhas Sphere"
To survive the crushing depths of the Atlantic, the distillery commissioned a custom-built, Grade-316 Stainless Steel Sphere.
- Pressure Regulation: The sphere is equipped with twin hydrostatic regulation valves. These are not designed to keep the pressure out, but to let it in slowly. By equalizing the internal pressure of the sphere with the external ocean pressure, the glass bottles inside are compressed without shattering.
- The Submersion: The sphere was lowered to exactly 400 meters deep off the coast of Cape Point, where the cold Benguela Current meets the warm Agulhas.
- The 400-Day Compression: For 400 days, the gin exists in a state of molecular high-stress. The 40 atmospheres of pressure force the spirit to “contract,” integrating the oak tannins and floral oils at a density that cannot be achieved at sea level.
