From friendship and a little experimentation to an award-winning artisanal gin, the remarkable women behind L-Gin have bottled something far more precious than a spirit. They have captured the heart of the Elgin Valley.
There is something rather extraordinary about meeting people who have taken a simple idea, added a little courage, an enormous amount of passion and turned it into something truly beautiful
And sometimes, the most wonderful stories begin with a glass of gin.
On Wednesday evening, at the magnificent Arabella Hotel, Golf & Spa in the Western Cape, I had the privilege of meeting the inspiring women behind L-Gin during a delightful tasting experience. What began as another beautiful evening of discovering local flavours quickly became something I felt compelled to explore further.
Perhaps it was their warmth. Perhaps their infectious enthusiasm. Or perhaps it was simply the knowledge that behind every beautifully presented glass stood three women who had dared to dream beyond the ordinary.
Whatever it was, I was completely captivated.
And, naturally, I had to discover their story.
Meet Sue Harper, Isabel Huxter and Ann Claughton, three friends from the picturesque Elgin Valley, just outside Cape Town, who turned their mutual appreciation for gin into a distinctly South African success story.
Their journey was never simply about creating another gin. It was about celebrating friendship, the beauty of their surroundings and the extraordinary produce growing quite literally on their doorstep.
Long before L-Gin officially launched in July 2018, these three women had spent years enjoying a friendship built on shared interests, laughter and a love of their beautiful valley.
Surrounded predominantly by wine-loving friends in one of the Cape’s most celebrated agricultural regions, they found themselves drawn to a different spirit.
Gin.
And rather than simply enjoying it, they began wondering whether they could create something of their own.
Something authentic. Something local. Something unmistakably Elgin.
The name itself was born one evening after several gins, when inspiration struck with a deliciously clever play on words: L-Gin, from Elgin.
I absolutely love that.
No elaborate corporate strategy. No boardroom of executives. Just three friends, a wonderful idea and the audacity to believe they could make it happen.
FROM A FOUR-LITRE COPPER STILL TO AN AWARD-WINNING DISTILLERY
Of course, turning a dream into a business is rarely quite as glamorous as the finished product.
For approximately three years before launching commercially, Sue, Isabel and Ann experimented with ingredients and recipes using a tiny four-litre copper pot still.
Imagine the patience required.
Countless trials, disappointing batches, recipes adjusted and adjusted again. All while navigating an industry traditionally associated with highly experienced distillers.
But these women were determined to learn.
They undertook distillation courses in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch and received invaluable guidance from acclaimed South African distiller Roger Jorgensen, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the country’s craft gin industry.
What strikes me most about their story is that none of the three arrived with an established distilling empire behind her.
Instead, each brought her own personality, strengths and determination to a partnership built fundamentally on trust.
Their different abilities became their greatest advantage. They have spoken openly about the occasional frustrations that naturally arise when friends become business partners, but also about the laughter, mutual understanding and extraordinary bond that has carried them forward.
And isn’t that exactly what genuine friendship is?
Not perfection, but the ability to build something meaningful together.
THE BEAUTY OF ELGIN, CAPTURED IN A BOTTLE
Nestled among the orchards and rolling hills of the Elgin Valley, their boutique distillery at Valley Green Farm celebrates the spectacular landscape surrounding it.
Elgin is famous for its apples, fertile agricultural land and cool-climate growing conditions, but the three friends saw an opportunity to showcase its ingredients in an entirely different way.
Their philosophy was beautifully uncomplicated: use the extraordinary natural produce of Elgin to create something that genuinely reflects its origins.
Even their juniper, the essential botanical at the heart of traditional gin, is locally grown.
In fact, the discovery of Elgin-grown juniper happened during a mountain-bike ride through the valley. When they learned that the trees were available for harvesting, they secured permission to collect the berries.
It is the sort of wonderful coincidence that makes their story so endearing.
Fresh fruit is sourced locally, botanicals are carefully selected and the water used in production comes from a natural spring in the valley.
Their process is wonderfully hands-on.
Preparation of the fresh fruit can begin a week before distillation. Their traditional production uses a 200-litre still, with distilling days beginning as early as five in the morning and continuing into the evening.
Every stage requires attention, from preparing ingredients and monitoring the distillation to assessing aromas, tasting the spirit and maintaining meticulous production records.
And historically, the founders themselves have undertaken everything from picking fruit to bottling and labelling their creations by hand.
This is not simply a bottle rolling off an anonymous production line.
This is craftsmanship with a heartbeat.
A COLLECTION WITH CHARACTER
Their first creation, Lush, was inspired by the Granny Smith apples for which Elgin is renowned.
Fresh, crisp and juniper-forward, it combines locally grown apples with lemon peel, ginger, coriander and angelica root.
Interestingly, the founders affectionately called Lush their problem child, having spent months perfecting the delicate balance of flavours.
Then came Crush, featuring locally grown blueberries, juniper, indigenous salvia and African striped pepper.
Plush took inspiration from the magnificent oak trees lining the valley’s farm roads. Matured with oak after distillation, it offers a richer, warmer character with earthy notes and a subtle caramel-like complexity.
The collection has since expanded to include a traditional Classic, fragrant Strawberry and the intriguing coffee-infused Rush, made with African coffee beans and orange zest.
There is even an innovative On-The-Go presentation, created during the challenges of the pandemic and packaged in a convenient recyclable-material bag-in-box format.
But naturally, I had my favourites.
The rosé-style serve, of course!
Beautifully feminine in presentation, wonderfully inviting and rather difficult for me to resist. Anyone who knows me knows I have a weakness for anything beautifully pink.
And then there was the Classic, presented with fresh granadilla pulp.
Now THAT was divine.
The brightness and tropical sweetness of the granadilla complemented the gin’s juniper, lemongrass and ginger character so beautifully. Visually gorgeous and deliciously refreshing, it was exactly the sort of combination one wants to recreate for a sophisticated summer afternoon.
Proof that sometimes the simplest finishing touches create the most memorable experiences.
THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE
Their dedication has certainly not gone unnoticed.
In 2019, L-Gin earned gold recognition at the South African Craft Gin Awards.
Then, in 2020, came an extraordinary collection of Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards.
Lush received Double Gold, Crush achieved Gold, Plush received the prestigious Best Gin Trophy, and their innovative On-The-Go packaging earned recognition for its ingenuity.
An incredible achievement for three friends who began experimenting with a miniature still.
Their success is also about community.
The founders have supported local employment through seasonal juniper harvesting and opportunities for young people at their gin bar at the Elgin Railway Market.
They understand that building a business should also contribute to the place that inspired it.
And that, to me, makes their achievements even more meaningful.
A TOAST TO THE WOMEN WHO DARE
I have always believed that behind the most exceptional brands are people with stories worth telling.
Not everything beautiful needs to originate in Paris, Milan or London.
Sometimes it begins in a little valley in the Western Cape, with three women, a four-litre copper still and an idea that simply refuses to disappear.
Meeting these ladies at Arabella reminded me why I love discovering and celebrating South African talent.
We have extraordinary people creating extraordinary things right here at home.
And when women support one another, believe in their ideas and refuse to surrender their dreams, the results can be quite spectacular.
To Sue, Isabel and Ann, thank you for reminding me that success is not always measured by the size of an enterprise, but by the passion, perseverance and authenticity behind it.
I arrived expecting a lovely tasting experience.
I left having discovered a beautiful story of friendship, determination and three remarkable South African women.
And yes, I will most certainly be ordering more.
Preferably something pink.
Now THIS is #Joburgstyle.
DISCOVER L-GIN
Shop online: www.l-gin.net
Visit: L-Gin Craft Gin Bar, Elgin Railway Market, Oak Avenue, Elgin, Western Cape. Weekend tastings and sales.
Distillery: Valley Green Farm, 41 Viljoenshoop Road, Elgin Valley. Visits by appointment.
Enquiries: admin@l-gin.net
Instagram: @lgincraftgin
Inspired by Elgin. Made in Elgin. Celebrating friendship, one beautiful glass at a time.
