A dusty and well-worn dirt track, somewhere on the fringes of the otherwise endless and arid Karoo region in South Africa, leads to an oasis of indescribeable beauty. Close to the tiny village of De Wet, but not too far from the major highway between Cape Town and Johannesburg, this is the home of Six Dogs Distillery, one of South Africa’s most renowned boutique gin distilleries.

Arrive at the farm where the Distillery is situated and be prepared for an unusual welcome: six canines – four large and gentle Great Danes and two smaller dogs – all demanding your attention, which is inevitably drawn to the circle of mountains and the line of trees that surround this perfect little valley. They will accompany you too to the stoep or verandah area where you will be able to take in the spectacular views while sipping on a range of delicate hand-crafted gins.

“Because we could” is the obvious answer from Charles Bryant, Master Distiller and one of the original founders of Six Dogs, when you ask why this former capital markets trader and serial entrepreneur turned his hand to perfecting the art of gin distillation. But that simple answer belies a fascinating story of how a business born in a shed on the farm where the dogs sleep (hence the name) only seven years ago spawned one of the most well known gin brands in South Africa and one that now has a presence in some thirty countries around the world.

Six Dogs Blue derives its name from the blue pea flower (Clitoria Ternatea), an antioxidant and alleged aphrodisiac in traditional medicine. As chance would have it, ‘Blue’ was also the name of the smallest dog in our original pack of six. The infusion of blue pea gives the gin its striking and entirely natural colour, while the alchemy of this unusual botanical is further revealed when the gin is mixed with a good tonic, changing the colour to light pink. The first blue gin to be launched in South Africa, Six Dogs Blue is a classic dry gin with a slightly floral character, with hints of freshly-cut lucerne over hand-picked and morning-harvested rose pelargonium.