Meeting the brilliant minds behind the brands
The Noble Experiment

Give us a brief history about your brand and how you got started

As I am a person that relates to taste, feel and experiences and previously owning a restaurant, I find joy in creating culinary taste experiences.  From this the Gin journey was born from a thought that it would be fun to make gin as I would like it to be made. Manifesting from that thought, action was taken and a five litre still purchased with the intention to dabble, create and immerse myself in the mysterious world of Gin creation. This was all done from the confines of our family home kitchen, as this progressed the enthusiasm grew and before I knew it, I had a whole laboratory which had moved its self from the kitchen into our home bar. With the satisfaction drawn from my creations, I felt ready and confident to take this to the broader audience and to share my creations with all that would indulge me, from that The Noble Experiment was born.

How is your brand and product different to the vast competition out there?

We are a pure grain to glass distillery and do not use bought in base alcohol. All ingredients are treated with respect and processed with necessary care to ensure a pristine end result.  Every bottle manufactured has been overseen by the distiller (myself) from start to end.

What inspired your logo?

The Noble Experiment name is not original but comes from the prohibition era of 1920 to 1933, (strangely enough when we got our license in January 2020 which was 100 years after prohibition in the USA we went into prohibition in South Africa) President Herbert Hoover’s described Prohibition as “a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.” Having said that it was also taken into our own context as this was going to be a great experiment for ourselves noble in motive and far reaching personally. As mentioned, the era was 1920 and we were looking for the vintage feel to remind us of the era of “The Noble Experiment” and therefore the logo design.

What made you want to start distilling and was gin your initial focus?

See question 1. Gin was definitely the main focus.

What are 5 words that describe you?

Rebellious, Non-conformist, Optimistic, Determined, Passionate.

Is this your main source of work or do you have another job as well and if so, what do you do?

I eat sleep and drink “The Noble Experiment” twenty-four seven, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Which other distillers do you admire?

The pioneer of woman distillers in the craft industry, Lorna Scott from Inverroche, she has broken all barriers in an industry that one previously would think “was” a man’s world.

What kind of personality would you say you have (Rebel / Jester / Outdoorsie / Bold / Optimist / Peace-lover)?

Rebel with all sorts of causes, I like to take risks that scare me.

What is one of the best stories you can share about your experience in this industry?

Lockdown being set upon us at the start of our commercial adventure, it was amazing to see everyone rally around and connections made from “not so obvious quarters”. We had to dig deep and do huge amounts of out of the box thinking, added to that the valuable connections and friendships forged during this time.

What is one of the worst stories you can share about your experience in this industry?

To sound obvious and a cliché and contradict the above, it has to be COVID 19 and lockdown, having just got our license and lockdown being thrust upon us…. Enter the unknown…….

If your company could drive, what would be its vehicle of choice?

It would have to be the De Lorean from “Back to the Future”.

How do you reach your customers and how do you interact with them?

The obvious answer is social media, e.g.  Facebook, Instagram and strangely enough we have a LinkedIn page. We present gin making classes or as we like to call it “Giniversity” at the distillery.  This is a paid education on the gin which includes making of your own bottle of gin, it’s always stimulating to meet the inquiring minds in this forum. Outside of the obvious media platforms we endeavour to keep it as personal and intimate as possible, one of my passions is meeting people from all walks of life and sharing with them. It is always so inspiring to see faces light up when we have visits in the distillery.

What is your definition of a Craft Spirit and how many brands do you feel achieves this?

This is a controversial question; from The Noble Experiment’s opinion it would be any distillery with a grain to glass process.

What is your vision for the Gin category in South Africa as well as your brand?

has transformed and will continue to transform the industry. Small distillers have been crucial to the gin market’s growth. I think there will be an increase on alcohol free spirits.

I would like to see my brand in homes in 2020.