On 15 February 1864, Gerard Adriaan Heineken took over the Haystack brewery in Amsterdam. Just 22 years old, Gerard had little brewing experience, but he had plenty of courage, self-confidence and entrepreneurial spirit. He made a bold decision: to brew only lager, even though the Dutch were much better at brewing ale, porter and brown. That risk paid off. Less than a decade later, the second Heineken brewery opened in Rotterdam. Today, more than 150 years later, Heineken employs over 85,000 people globally, with brands present in 190 countries.
Whilst Heineken’s story began with beer, the company’s spirits portfolio showcases the same commitment to quality and craft that Gerard Heineken championed from day one. Through recent acquisitions, Heineken has become the custodian of exceptional South African spirits brands, each with its own distinctive heritage and character.
Van Ryn’s Brandy Distillery, with a history starting in 1845, has stood the test of time by focusing on quality and craftsmanship. Erected in 1905 along the banks of the Eerste River in the Vlottenburg Valley close to Stellenbosch, it is South Africa’s only brandy distillery with its own repair cooperage, where skilled practitioners practise a dying art, making up barrels of French oak in which brandies are matured slowly, over time. Guided by Distillery Manager Marlene Bester, the production team twice distils in traditional copper pot stills and ages in oak barrels for more than a decade. “Brandy is born of patience, a quiet alchemy of time, nature and craft,” explains the team. “In the hush of the cellar, French oak barrels cradle the spirit for years. Slowly, the wood whispers its secrets: warm vanilla, toasted spice, and the golden hue of amber afternoons.” What sets Van Ryn’s brandies apart is not just their quality, it’s their consistency, crafting brandies year after year that speak with the same eloquence, the same grace.
Durbanville Hills offers a uniquely cool-climate brandy, envisioned by the late cellar master Martin Moore as the perfect ending to a meal spent in great company. This exceptional brandy is crafted from Durbanville-origin Merlot grapes, pot-stilled, oak-matured for 10 years and finished in ex-Durbanville Hills Merlot barrels.
Amarula, a distinguished South African cream liqueur, has transformed from a local gem into a global sensation celebrated in over 100 countries. Crafted from the marula fruit native to sub-Saharan Africa, the small yellow fruit grows on the marula tree, often referred to as the “elephant tree” because elephants are known to seek out and feast on the ripe fruit. The marula fruit is crucial to Amarula’s identity, providing the distinct, fresh flavour that sets the liqueur apart, its natural sugars and flavours preserved through careful processing to ensure each bottle captures the essence of the African spirit.
