Gin Gin Gincello

Gincello may be a lesser known version of my favourite drink – gin, but since discovering it I am obsessed and cannot imagine a world without this delectable drink! Time Anchor Distillery (TAD) in Joburg is a proud creator of their own brand of this nectar from the gods. Run by Shanna-Rae Wilby and her partner in crime; Warrick Brown whose support began through the purchase of a 5 litre pot still which sparked in her the desire to distil and she has not stopped ever since.

The incredible TAD Gincello creator; Shanna-Rae has been inventing since her university days back when she came up with the fascinating idea to make skittles vodka. Infusing is obviously a passion of the now Chief Alchemist at Time Anchor Distillery. Shanna-Rae’s pure passion for experimentation led to the creation of the Alchemy Trials which gives TAD the chance to showcase their smaller and unique crafted spirits. These are all exclusive and not available in the mainstream. The Alchemy Trials provides the opportunity for the TAD Family to own something completely individual.

The Time Anchor Distillery Gincello is available exclusively from the Distillery making every batch bespoke. Each batch size is completely dependent on the product that is being created such as Sloe Gin, another TAD creation made from Sloe berries, which is released in batches of 250. Gincello is conjured up every three months with a variety between 100 – 200 bottles being released at any given time. The creation of this delicious product includes the hand zesting of 30kgs of lemons which equals three lemons per bottle and allowing that zest to infuse with TAD London Dry Gin for 2 months. The gin is then hand filtered and combined with invert syrup which not only transforms the gin into a liqueur but also reduces the ABV from 43% to 30%. This labour intensive process is the reason that only three small batches are released a year.

A bottle of Time Anchor Distillery London Dry Gin

After experiencing Shanna-Rae’s amazing gin tasting, I could not stop myself from buying the Gincello liqueur that was on offer and I was not wrong to buy it because it was hand labelled at number 115, close to the end of that batch. The Gincello is a citrus gin liqueur that is best served chilled and tastes like a desert on its own. Beautifully sweet and refreshing, it’s like pudding. Bottled in a stunning hand labelled glass that is almost triangular in shape, the label is complete with Shanna-Rae’s name on it. A lot of love has gone into the creation of this gorgeous drink and you can taste it. I’m sipping mine slowly but I know that all too soon I will have to return to make another purchase.

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