Fynbos Distillery @ Jolly Rooster

Fynbos Distillery

From the Earth to the Bottle.

At Fynbos Distillery, we strive to make the best spirits money can buy.

Our secret? Small-scale batches, passionate distillers, and a delicious Mediterranean food pairing menu.

Soak up the intoxicating Stanford sun and fluff out your tail feathers on our welcoming patio.

Children welcome.

We’re open Wednesday to Sunday, from 09h00 until late in the afternoon.

The Jolly Rooster, 32 Kleine Street, Stanford Industrial Area, Stanford, Overberg. Find us on the R43, 15 minutes outside Hermanus.

Read more about Fynbos Distillery

I am in love with the Overberg. One of the most majestic estates in Stanford, situated on the southern slopes of the Klein River Mountain, is a farm by the name of Sir Robert Stanford Estate. Whenever my husband Mike and I visited Franskraal, where my beloved holiday home is, we would make our way over to the estate for Sunday lunch. One weekend we went for a walk on the farm and followed the pathway that made its way past the wine shop and ended up in the tasting room of a small distillery. I loved the idea of distilling. Back in in my erotic dancing days at the Titty Twister in Rivonia, Johannesburg, the owner once said to me “GiGi, there’s only money in two things in life, women, and liquor!”
One Sunday we made our way to the small distillery only to find it closed. We tracked down the owner of the farm, who explained that his distillers had walked away and he knew nothing about the business. The distillery was situated on a hill overlooking a dreamy pond. It had a peach pip floor, a 70-year-old copper still, and a patio with a Mexican cantina feel. I loved the tiny distillery. Mike and I went into partnership with the owner of the estate. It felt like a hugely exciting venture.

We invited Loffie, a knowledgeable professor, to train our staff, while Mike and I enrolled into Master Distillers courses. While the venture succeeded initially, the old copper pot still started giving in, followed by break-ins on the farm. The old copper still was stolen, along with the fixed copper pipes. We had no choice but to look for a new location.

Mike’s daughter Dani, who was working for us as a distiller, located a perfect venue. It was a small factory situated on the R43 in the Industrial Area of Stanford. Before we bought the building, Mike and I flew to Panama to investigate whether the grass was greener on the other side of the world. It rains for 10 months of the year in Panama. We landed in David, a small town, in heavy rain. It was warm and wet. Our clothes musky and the water in our hotel smelled. After four days in Panama, we decided to stay in the Overberg. We bought the small factory in Stanford and called our tasting room, the Jolly Rooster, after the beautiful roosters we saw in Panama and our decision to stay in beautiful South-Africa. The roosters were red, yellow, white, and black with long legs and athletic bodies. We were in awe at how much the Panamanian people loved their birds.
Fynbos Distillery @ The Jolly Rooster produces award winning spirits, Limoncello, Witblits liqueurs, White Cream liqueurs, Grappa, Rum, Mampoer, Gin and Tequila. Our brand is bright and colourful, fresh, and funky. We opened the Jolly Rooster on the 10th of December 2018. We have gone from strength to strength, and our products have consistently won awards from 2018 to date. We specialise in small-scale batches of hand-crafted spirits. Our passionate distillers and the mouth-watering Mediterranean pairing menu will make a visit to the Jolly Rooster an experience that will linger. Rock your wattle while you taste our Arabian Rose Gin! Tickle your pickle while sipping our Cranberry Witblits! See you at the Jolly Rooster!

Awards Won to Date

2018

• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Plain Husk Spirit – Gold Award

2019

• Spirits Trophy Awards – Oaked Witblits – Silver Award
• Spirits Trophy Awards – Oaked Apple Mampoer – Silver Award
• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Plain Husk Spirit – Double Award: Gold Award and Value Award
• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Oaked Apple Mampoer – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Plain Husk Spirit – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Citrus Bomb Gin – Gold Award
• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Plain Witblits – Double Gold
• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Plain Husk Spirit – Gold Award

2020

• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Just Juniper Gin – Double Award: Gold Award and Value Award
• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Arabian Rose Gin – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Lemoncello – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Plain Husk Spirit – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Arabian Rose Gin – Gold Award
• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Plain Husk Spirit – Gold Award

2021

• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• Merit Wine & Spirit Challenge – Plain Husk Spirit – Value Award
• Platter’s Wine Guide – Plain Husk Spirit – 3 Stars
• Platter’s Wine Guide – Oaked Husk Spirit – 3.5 Stars
• Platter’s Wine Guide – Plain Witblits – 3.5 Stars
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Purple Haze Gin – Gold Award
• SA Women’s Wine & Spirit Awards – Plain Husk Spirit – Gold Award
• Vitis Vinifera Awards – Arabian Rose Gin – Gold Award

2022

• Platter’s Wine Guide – Plain Husk Spirit – 3.5 Stars and Good Value
• Platter’s Wine Guide – Oaked Husk Spirit – 3 Stars
• Platter’s Wine Guide – Plain Witblits – 3.5 Stars

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