The New Harbour Distillery Story
The vibrant suburb of Woodstock in the Mother City has seen its fair share of changes over the years. Once, Woodstock was a quaint little town with crowds of sun-seekers flocking to the beach for some relaxation and breath-taking views of Table Mountain. But it wasn't always called Woodstock; it was known as the fishermen suburb, Papendorp.
In the late 1800s, the residents gathered at the Woodstock Hotel in Papendorp to decide upon a new name for their new municipality. A group of fishermen (while enjoying a drink at the hotel, of course) suggested that they call it “Woodstock” – as a tribute to their favourite watering hole, the Woodstock Hotel! They outnumbered the others, and the rest is history! Woodstock will be the name – honouring the area’s bar-of-choice!
Woodstock hasn’t lost its appeal since that day. It’s known as an artsy and hip neighbourhood filled with vibrant cafés and lively attractions – and needless to say, several bars!
The revitalization of Woodstock with its trendy small businesses, edgy restaurants and bars, and mind-blowing street art created a unique opportunity for New Harbour Distillery – the perfect place to house our science and craft. We noticed that consumers were becoming more open-minded towards premium craft products, and that craft distilling should be the next step.
With artisanal spirits, we can put our own unique stamp on, get creative and be as imaginative as we want!
“When you find the right mix of art, science and chemistry while seeing an opportunity to do something truly exceptional, then you're given a chance to create something as unique as the South African landscape.”
– Nic Janeke, COO & Master Distiller.
When choosing our name, New Harbour Distillery, we wanted people to know where it all began – Woodstock, the old industrial heart of Cape Town Harbour.
New Harbour Distillery is an experimental micro-distillery producing award-winning gins, vodka, brandy, rum and cocktail mixology products. We combine science, art, and nature with new and innovative processes to create the smoothest tasting spirits.
Our spirits are created with nature and perfected in the lab – as is the way of the alchemist.
INFUSIONS OF NATURE
We only use sustainably sourced, organic ingredients to distil our range of craft spirits.
HANDMADE WITH CARE
Small-batch spirits distilled & bottled by hand at our state-of-the-art micro-distillery.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
Sustainability at our core. There is zero waste throughout the distilling process.
Our micro-distillery is now located in Somerset West, Cape Town, where we create artisanal small-batch spirits.
Our state-of-the-art experimental micro-distillery will soon move back to our roots in Woodstock – watch this space!
We thrive on doing things in a new way while being on-trend in the global spirits industry.
From maceration to vacuum distillation techniques, we will continue to experiment with what nature has given us and help you to enjoy better drinks!
