A conversation with André Pienaar of the Pienaar & Son Distilling Company.
Word: Mia McCarthy
Juniper berries, angelica root, lemon peel — these are some of the botanicals you might expect to savour in a spirit like gin. However, if you purchase any of André Pienaar’s boundary-pushing tipples, you’re likely to encounter increasingly unexpected flavour agents ranging from oyster shells to pine needles.
“I like doing stuff that people haven’t thought of,” confesses André, sitting across from me at the distillery premises in Makers Landing. One year, Pienaar & Son collaborated with local meat merchant Frankie Fenner to produce a limited run of vodka that had been washed in gammon fat, a technique that involves infusing a spirit with a liquid fat to impart a rich texture and silky mouthfeel to the drink.
Part-chemist, part-artist, and full-blown mad scientist, André seems to be inspirited by local muses. Many of the flavours he infuses into his products are inspired by a visit to the Oranjezicht City Farm Market, a walk in Newlands Forest, or the historical influence of the Eastern spice trade in the Cape. As a result, the Pienaar & Son distillery doesn’t just produce quality liquor; it also distils the cultural essence of Cape Town, starting with the municipal water that flows through its stills.
These local influences are hardly surprising, especially considering that the distillery has origins that are even closer to home for André. Day-to-day operations at Pienaar & Son may be run by André, but the business came to fruition in partnership with his father. If there is a signature botanical featured in the spirits produced by Pienaar & Son, it is cut from a family tree.
“The best way I describe the Pienaar & Son thing is my dad made the stove, and I’m the chef,” explains André. His father, a now-retired chemical engineer, designed and built the stills that produce Pienaar & Son’s vodka and whiskey. André accredits his ability to play boldly with flavour and texture to the rock-solid foundation provided by his father’s expertly engineered stills.
“No one else can buy what we have,” says André. “What we have is kind of a different way of distilling to 99.99% of other small distilleries, so it’s like — even when he’s not here — we’re using his still and I can trust that the end product is a high-quality product. His expertise has made me a better distiller.”
Pienaar & Son is a distillery that is richly shaped by local and family histories, but it is far from traditional. “A lot of the booze industry is really old school,” reflects André. “What we try and do is do new, interesting stuff, and push boundaries where we can.”
What André has identified is a fascinating contradiction. When consumed responsibly, liquor has the effect of inducing near-magical experiences; yet, it is the product of a meticulously scientific process and a tightly regulated industry. As a result, some liquors are associated with an ironic purity culture. Why else would introducing olive brine to a crystalline gin martini make it “dirty”?
Part of what Pienaar & Son is doing is reacting against the pomp and circumstance that dictates what is acceptable or even tasteful in the world of spirits. This is a distillery that produces an Ugly Gin, a product that is stripped of all marketing to deliver a quality product to the discerning consumer. Pienaar & Son also produces premixed cocktails in cans and single-serve pouches, making classic drinks like the negroni and the martini more accessible to those who enjoy a drink in more adventurous places than an indoor bar.
The liquor produced by the Pienaar & Son distillery is about pushing creative boundaries, but André has retained a keen appreciation for the science behind booze. “It’s always a bit of a magic show,” he tells me. “If you’re an audience member, you know the magician is doing some technical shit with his hands that you can’t see. You know that there’s a lot of logic, a lot of practice behind the spectacle but, as an audience member, you just get this show — it’s an illusion.”
From where I’m sitting, with a chilled effervescent Cherry Bomb from the Pienaar & Son Savour range in my hand, the magic is in the open-faced authenticity of the founder’s approach to creativity and taste. “It doesn’t have to be complicated,” advises André. “The only way to be authentic is to practise authenticity. Just make shit that you think is cool and the rest will take care of itself.”
Shop the full range of Pienaar & Son products at pienaarandson.co.za.
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