‘Find and Refine’ isn’t just the motto at Unit43 Distilling, it’s their way of life!
Taking something at its base form and refining it into something amazing is what the Unit 43 distillers do. Their one of a kind still named Sylvia, after Jason’s late mom and Bruno’s Grandmother, was made completely from recycled materials which they found in scrap yards and junk shops all around South Africa.
The stainless-steel boiler base of the still was salvaged from a bakery in the Outeniqua mountains previously used as a massive mixing bowl. The still’s hand wrought copper top was made from old copper geysers sourced from scrap yards and the rocket-like still cooler is made from stainless steel steam piping which used to supply heat in one of the knitting factories that dotted the Cape Town landscape of old. A bottling machine tucked away in a busy corner of the distillery was also handmade after Jason and Bruno followed their ‘we can make that’ instinct and got down to finding some fit-to-purpose scrap metal. The two even made almost all of the furniture and fittings in the distillery including the two very cool bikes that sit centre stage at the distillery.
Tables, tanks, shelving, cupboards, flower pots, barrels, picture frames, and hydraulic lifters all destined to be destroyed have been brought back to life, true to the brand’s motto of ‘Find and Refine’ & ‘Makers of the Strong Stuff’… giving the distillery such unique soul, passion and intrigue, not easily duplicated.
This knack for ‘Find and Refine’ also led them to sourcing and foraging the best possible ingredients for their gin, refining them into the multi-award-winning spirits found in every bottle of Unit 43. Buchu from the Franschoek mountains and Fynbos from their own cultivated plants give Unit 43 Gins a unique deep flavour, along with some spiciness from other African ingredients and a piney Juniper leader. Truly refined.