ORIGIIN WOOD FIRED
Hydro Distilled Non-Alcoholic Gin
ORIGIIN OF KAMMA-KAN KAMMA:
A WOOD FIRED HYDRO DISTILLED NON-ALCOHOLIC JUNIPER BOTANICAL SPIRIT WITH ALL THE FLAVOURS OF ‘GIIN’
Suppose you are searching for a delicious yet bespoke alternative to alcoholic drinks that possess all the character, flavour, and aroma you crave. In that case, we will encourage you to read further. Origiin is a 100% Wood Fired Hydro Distilled Juniper Botanical Spirit, or Non-Alcoholic Gin crafted in the countryside of the Overberg Region in South Africa.
You will notice the double “i” in the spelling of Origiin, symbolic of two friends, Andrew and Emile, who started this journey together while it highlights the craft “giin” we are distilling.
Everything happens at De Poort in Riviersonderend, an organically certified farm that emphasizes our commitment to quality produce.
Besides the perfect serve, the story and practices must also match the consumers’ expectancy in an adult non-alcoholic drink. Our product is not made with regular water but hails from earth-filtered mountain river waters of the Sonderend River. By shaping the heart of this spirit this way in single batch lots, we maintain its integrity throughout the distilling process. The essence comes alive with our unique wood-fired hydro distilling, creating a rich Juniper H2O spirit. This non-alcoholic spirit is matured for a few weeks, allowing the oils to settle before the final blending and bottling starts.
Our approach is to stay true to the distillation process, and we distil 100% of our product in 1000L pot still batches and use three times the amount of Juniper berries used for alcoholic gin production. It is pretty impressive to see these massive wood-fired stills and smell the fresh aroma of Juniper berries as it is distilled three times for optimal flavour intensity. This forms 98-99% of our final bottled product, a pure Juniper Hydro distillate, after which we then infuse and balance it with natural botanicals.
The authenticity of this product is born from the rare 1950’s W. Coltmam & Co.boiler & potstill we use on the farm. Since these stills are not produced anymore, the process we use is quite rare. The pressure you need to generate the extraction is an artisanal process unheard of in commercial and modern distilling and not justifying the costs involved. But we wanted this to be perfect. You can imagine that a spirit bereft of the alcoholic texture and aromas is totally reliant on the purity of the Juniper berries and water source.
The Origiin
Whether we make wine or a non-alcoholic product, the origin remains key to retaining the authenticity of what we do. The De Poort farm is nestled on the slopes of the Sonderend mountains, just outside the small Overberg town, Riviersonderend. The farm boasts an impressive 20-meter waterfall, one of the significant Origiins of the Sonderend river and the principal feeding arm of the Breederiver in South Africa.
The Hesequa people, a historical South African Khoi tribe (the Origiinal yet forgotten people of the area) called it, “Kamma-Kan Kamma” which translates to “Water-Endless Water” or the Endless River. The Khoi people lived close to nature, and this was their way to describe the river’s many headways. No one succeeded in finding the Origiin of the river or birthplace of Kamma-Kan Kamma.
De Poort is renowned for distilling organic essential oils and making the best of its unspoiled botanical richness and freshwater from the mountains. This inspired us to partner with this unique wood-fired distillery and to produce Origiin’s Non-Alcoholic Juniper H2O Spirit.