Where Bees, Botanicals and Brilliance #doDifferent
Some of the best ideas begin humbly. A garage, a kitchen table or, in this case, a shed. This week, we’re travelling to a quiet valley on the edge of the Karoo, where a small team and a pack of dogs have built a gin brand that now travels the world while staying rooted in the land around it.
Six Dogs Distillery began, as the founders put it, “in the most humble way”: a shed normally used to house their six dogs and an old copper geyser converted into a still. Distiller Charles Bryant, a former capital markets trader, was soon joined by his brother Glenn and their friend Luigi Marucchi, who shared the desire to create something really special. Asked why he turned to gin, Charles has said, “Because we could.” That spirit of curiosity has driven everything since.
Their dream was to make a gin that would make a difference in the South African craft distillery industry and abroad. They didn’t just follow the usual recipe. They custom-designed a copper still to their own specifications and, after researching molecular distillation, learned that some delicate botanicals are better preserved when distilled under vacuum and blended later. What began as an exploration of technology and botany turned into a passion.
Six Dogs is based in the little valley of De Wet, in the Western Cape, nestled between the Breede River Valley and the Hex River Valley. No one really knows where the Karoo begins and ends, but the distillers do know one thing: this is a place where “the wild things grow.” The farm sits where three bioregions meet, including the succulent Karoo, one of the world’s richest semi-desert regions for succulent plants.
That landscape is in every bottle. The signature Six Dogs Karoo gin is built around twelve botanicals, including Karoo thorn flower and wild lavender gathered on the farm, with farm-grown lemon buchu adding a citrus note. The distillery also grows its own botanicals, uses pure mountain water from the valley above it and supports neighbouring farmers who grow specific fruit for them. Their Pinotage Stained Gin is the result of one such partnership: it’s infused with handpicked pinotage grapes from a neighbour’s prized vineyard block.
Perhaps the best example of the distillery’s care for its surroundings is Six Dogs Honey Lime. The gin began as a sustainability project when South African bee conservation company Bee Smiths asked the distillery to relocate rescued bees to the farm. Sitting on the meeting point of the Fynbos and Karoo biomes, the farm proved to be an ideal home. The honey the bees produced, paired with farm-grown limes, became a gin that tastes of its place. The distillery’s XO Brandy, a collaboration with some of the country’s finest brandy distillers, is softened with a touch of raw fynbos honey from the farm’s own hives.
Six Dogs has also been a pioneer. Six Dogs Blue was the first blue gin launched in South Africa, coloured naturally with the blue pea flower. It changes to light pink when mixed with tonic, and it is named after the smallest dog in the original pack. For the adventurous, the team has also created Red Chenin, a white wine that is red in colour thanks to a splash of Roobernet grapes, made with winemaker Ters Jonck.
As the business has grown, the team has been resolute about growing at the same pace as its relationships. They say it’s important to stay fully connected with customers, retailers and on-consumption outlets, because without them they only have products and with them they have a brand. When demand grew, the distillery opened a second site so Luigi could distil near his home, using a copper still three times the size of the original. The brand also thanks its Honorary Brand Ambassadors, people who have gone far beyond the call to spread the love of Six Dogs and asked for nothing in return.
The brand’s reach now extends far beyond the valley. Six Dogs is available in more than 30 countries and has a presence in the Netherlands, taking a piece of the Karoo to gin lovers across Europe and beyond. Through its Venture Hounds initiative, the team also backs disruptive founders, rulebreakers and innovators, helping others build businesses of their own.
Six Dogs shows that a world-class product can come from a small valley, and that growing a business doesn’t mean leaving your roots behind. It is a story of wild plants and rescued bees, neighbouring farmers and loyal customers, and a pack of six dogs who started it all. Distillery tastings are available by appointment, for anyone who would like to see it for themselves. And as always, please enjoy responsibly.
