The Michaelangelo Awards and then some

Last week I received an email from the owners of Flivver gin regarding the Michaelangelo International spirit and wine award winners being showcased at Monte Casino that Friday. It is a big deal for any alcohol to achieve this accolade so when Bronwyn offered me two extra tickets, I scooped them up in a heartbeat. Of course, I am down for any reason to drink gin.

The event

We made the great trek to Fourways and I gave my name in at the entrance to the event where our tickets were waiting for us.

We were rewarded with wristbands, tasting glasses and the well wishes that if we kept our glasses out, they might be refilled with free booze.

Definitely my type of Friday night.

Now I have to be upfront about something. As deep as I am in the alcohol scene, I am not actually a fan of red wine. Give me white, give me rose, give me sparkling in any colour but just don’t give me red wine because it tastes like blood.

This little tidbit of knowledge is important because the Michaelangelo awards are not limited solely to gin. In fact, apart from the three gins, one tequila and one potstilled spirit, every other table boasted red wine. Both my dream and nightmare simultaneously.

Meeting my buddies

Everything turned out alright in the end though because I was excited to see the Still 33 team promoting their delicious award winning gin. I was given a yummy free sample of their rooibos Flivver mixed with thyme syrup and fresh peaches which I finished in about a minute.

Flivver gin from Still 33

I was excited to note that the neighboring table was occupied by none other than Mark Taverner, creator of Prohibition gin from Silver Creek distillery. We got a few snaps together, he was kind enough to gift me with a gin that I will be creating a mother’s day video with (so be on the lookout in May) and best of all, we got to sample their Moonshine range.

I’ve had my eye on it ever since I first discovered Silver Creek, particularly their Bon Fire hot cinnamon and their Clear Shine. The Clear Shine did not disappoint. The taste was surprisingly sweet in spite of there being no added sugar. Their Bon Fire had the taste but not the burn of cinnamon and I think I will most likely by buying a bottle or two pretty soon.

Meeting up with Mark the Moonshiner

Making connections

After greeting those I knew, it was time to move onto those I did not.

We got to sample some Westcliff and Ginnifer gin. Their combinations are interesting and unique and I will hopefully be contacting them soon.

And on our final lap of the winners tables, we came across a tequila company called Dia Noche. I got chatting to their intriguing owner and I can promise you some interesting content coming soon because in spite of the large amount of wineries, I still made some awesome connections.

I am pleased to say that I am attempting to attend more gin events this year including the Lowveld Gin Fest which will comprise of a juniper filled long weekend in Nelspruit. For any interested, there are still tickets available, so check out their page if you are looking for fun things to do!

Thank you all

Finally I just want to say a big thank you to all the gin lovers and readers out there. I’ve recently been accepted as a weekly contributor to the agricultural sector on Bizcommunity where all of my Meet the Maker segments will be featured and it is your continued support that makes it possible for me to pursue my dream and passion of writing.

This week I am featuring Pienaar and Son from my distillery tour and I will be creating a unique G&T on Sipping with Sam.

That's it for now.

Have a fab week everyone, may it be filled with much gin, peace and love!

This week I am focusing on Pienaar & Son

#gin #ginblogger #Pienaarandson #SilverCreekDistillery #Still33