- samsnedorf
Sam's Distillery Tour - Preface
Enjoying a cocktail at Camp's Bay
As many of you know, I spent last week in the Cape exploring not wine, but gin of course!
We visited a new distillery every single day and there are still a large number that I will need to go back for.
I dubbed this little escapade ‘Sam’s Distillery Tour’.
It was amazing. I am not going to give too much away because I literally have six folders full of images, footage and writing that I will be bringing to you in the upcoming months.
What I can say that I learnt a hell of a lot more about gin than I knew previously. To the point where I was out of my depth at times which was quite interesting as it forced me to acknowledge that I still have so much to learn.
A sneak peek of Inverroche Distillery in Stillbay
Past Experiences
This trip was also a big deal for me because last year, when I went on my own for the first time, I had resolved to do a great many things with myself and for my blog. But with each passing day that I worked alone, I gave in more and more to my isolation. My anxiety spiked and I would often talk myself out of leaving the house to do things. At one point I contacted a local distillery in Joburg, out at the Cradle of Humankind and then stopped replying because suddenly the prospect of driving out there all alone and interacting with people was too much for me. It isn’t really something that you can explain to a stranger so instead of being upfront, I sort of never got back to them on finalising plans and made the whole thing disappear with my mind.
This is a negative habit that I vowed to myself I was going to break this year, or at least tackle by forcing myself out of my comfort zone a little more.
It is slow going but I know that this tour was a big step in the right direction.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being alone. Weirdly so, but as a human being, I still need some sort of interaction to stay (mostly) sane.
Behind the scenes at Six Dogs Distillery
The Tour
I planned the entire tour, emailed distilleries and spoke to people and then my boyfriend and I booked the accommodation together. I set out our daily itinerary and stood as the face of my own business. I met owners of distilleries, master distillers and people who were just generally as passionate about gin as I am – if not more.
Returning home required some heavy lifting as my bag was packed full of gin and my mind full of hope. Now I am taking that positive energy (lightly fuelled by gin) and turning it into something big.
I will begin the editing process soon and with the guidance of loved ones, I hope I will be able to give you all a stellar look at touring the Cape and discovering the magic of gin.
Until then, auf wiedersehen (seems like the German distiller had a strong influence on me!)
And be sure look out for more images from the tour on my Instagram and Facebook page.
Cape Town through my eyes