Apparently, experiential gifting has become one of the strongest consumer trends among Millennials and Gen Z, with research showing that younger people increasingly prefer to give and receive experiences rather than physical gifts.
I have noticed this trend among my oldest friends.
They receive adventures such as beekeeping courses, hot-air balloon rides, cooking classes, even skydiving experiences from their grown-up children.
The parents then return the favour by gifting an activity for a birthday or special occasion and, more often than not, the whole family joins in, creating precious memories together.
I recently had the privilege of doing a gin-making masterclass at Cape Saint Blaize Artisanal Distillery in Mossel Bay.
It was some of the most fun I have had in a long time.
It is an experience I will definitely be gifting in the future.
There is something warm and welcoming about this place, probably because it is a fully fledged family affair that began in 1988.
JJ Moorcroft built what is today known as Café Gannet, a business rooted in hard work, passion and a deep love for Mossel Bay.
Today his children run the operation.
Daughter Moya explains that the venture started as a restaurant before expanding into a guest house.
“Today it’s proudly known as the Protea Hotel by Marriott Mossel Bay — part of an international brand, but still grounded in the same family values,” she said.
During the Covid lockdown, the restaurant was closed for six months and the hotel for three.
With a dormant liquor licence available, the family saw an opportunity to start a gin business from scratch, from making the distinctive ceramic bottles to developing the gin recipes themselves.
Six years ago, Moya and her brother, Jason, joined the business full time.
Jason has a BCom in Business Management and Moya a BCom in Marketing, bringing a new generation of energy and expertise to the family enterprise.
Moya was born in Mossel Bay and fiercely loves her hometown, she tells me.
At Cape Saint Blaize Distillery, visitors are invited to spend a few hours learning about gin, becoming distillers for the day and leaving with their own bottle of handcrafted gin.
The distillery fittingly occupies a building known as the Ochre Barn, one of the oldest commercial premises in the Southern Cape.
Built in 1846 as a warehouse and trading station by Barry & Nephews, it later became part of the Golden Ochre Company, which milled ochre clay brought in by rail from Albertinia before exporting it to England for use in paint manufacturing.
The room where the gin-making happens has a vibe all of its own.
Participants take their place at individual workstations amid gleaming copper stills, glass vessels and an army of little bottles.
Part chemistry laboratory, part alchemist’s workshop, it feels a little like stepping into a grown-up version of Willy Wonka’s factory, where juniper berries and botanicals replace chocolate and sweets.
One of the highlights of the experience is meeting the hosts, Ronnie Mbunge and Vernol Constance, who lead the masterclasses with humour, enthusiasm and impressive gin knowledge.
The process begins with guests choosing one of three spirit bases — citrus, floral or herbal — each offering a different flavour profile.
I chose floral because it smells like Turkish Delight.
Next comes the fun part.
Aspiring distillers are presented with more than 20 botanical tinctures arranged in neat rows of glass dropper bottles.
From Cape favourites such as buchu, rooibos and spekboom to lavender, vanilla, mint and citrus, the possibilities seem almost endless.
Many of the flavours are inspired by the landscapes of the Cape Floral Kingdom and the Garden Route.
Mbunge advises that “less is more” when selecting botanicals, so I settle on lavender, orange and vanilla.
Mark, on the other hand, chooses the herbal base and enthusiastically adds everything from buchu and spekboom to rooibos in pursuit of what now smells suspiciously like a medicinal brew.
Gin would not be gin without juniper berries, Mbunge explains.
We are handed a bottle containing juniper berries, coriander seeds, cassia bark and angelica root.
This botanical blend is placed in a muslin cloth and tied into a bouquet garni.
With the spices and botanical now added, the mixture then bubbles away gently in a copper pot where the flavours are slowly distilled.
While the magic happens on the stove, visitors learn about the history of gin, tour the distillery and sample Cape Saint Blaize’s signature range.
The tour introduces guests to Anna, the distillery’s 700-litre Alembic oil-jacketed pot still.
Anna is named after the late Anna Moos, Café Gannet’s beloved breakfast chef who spent more than a decade feeding guests before her passing during the Covid pandemic.
Her legacy, the distillery says, lives on through every batch of spirit produced in the still that bears her name.
The masterclass also reveals that craftsmanship extends well beyond the gin itself.
The distillery’s distinctive ceramic bottles are handmade and inspired by the nearby Cape Saint Blaize Lighthouse, which has guided ships safely along the coast since 1864.
Their shape and logo draw inspiration from the lighthouse and the beams of light it casts across the sea.
Each bottle begins life as liquid clay poured into a mould created by a master potter.
After drying for three days, it is painstakingly fettled by hand to remove imperfections and rough edges.
It is then fired in kilns at temperatures exceeding 1,000°C before being sanded, tested, filled and labelled by hand.
No two bottles are exactly alike, making each one a small piece of functional art.
Keeping watch over the ceramic bottle-making operation is Lighthouse, a cat statue perched atop the kilns.
Named after a ship’s cat lost when a vessel sank off the Mossel Bay coast, Lighthouse serves as the distillery’s unofficial kiln protector.
The tradition draws on ancient beliefs from Egypt and China, where kiln deities were thought to safeguard pottery during the firing process.
By the end of the masterclass, participants have created their own unique gin recipe and the take-home is a 500ml bottle of gin with your own personalised label.
For those short on time, gin tastings and gin-and-food pairings are also available.
Sessions can accommodate up to 50 guests and can be combined with a meal at Café Gannet.
Mbunge also shares his thoughts on the perfect serve.
“Gin can be enjoyed with almost anything, not only tonic,” he said.
Lemon or orange zest, berries, cucumber and plenty of ice are all part of the art of preparing a memorable gin.
Cape Saint Blaize produces three signature gins.
The Classic Gin is the flagship, a full-bodied London Dry-style gin with notes of lime, elderflower, wild rosemary, honeybush, spice and juniper.
The Floristic Gin is inspired by the Cape’s remarkable biodiversity and showcases fragrant floral botanicals.
It is often served with berries and citrus garnishes to accentuate its delicate floral character.
The Oceanic Gin, inspired by Mossel Bay’s coastal location and the meeting of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, offers a fresh coastal profile with subtle saline and herbal notes.
So successful has Cape Saint Blaize become that its distinctive ceramic bottles have attracted attention far beyond Mossel Bay.
The distillery now creates custom-branded bottles for hospitality and corporate clients, while its range is stocked by high-end retailers.
The gin I made is utterly delicious, especially with orange zest, a single star anise seed and a couple of blocks of ice.
Mbunge advised us to keep our recipes and I fully intend returning to make another bottle when mine runs out.
I may also have discovered the perfect wedding gift.
Instead of another household appliance, why not give a newly married couple a gin-making masterclass?
They get to spend time together, create memories and walk away with two personalised bottles — unique souvenirs of the start of their life together.
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