Press Release
Black Current Spirits Artisan Distillery Pushes the Boundaries of Spirit Aging with "The400": A Gin Forged 400 Meters beneath the Atlantic
The400 Gin
est. 2001
Retrieval Day | The Ascent
THE400 Mission
started 2003
before submerge
after 2yrs test submerge
Bottle Design
Presentation Casing
In the rugged coastal reaches of the Western Cape, near the kelp forests of False Bay, lies Black Current Spirit, our South African artisan distillery that marries Cape fynbos heritage with extreme marine engineering. Our flagship project, known as “The400,” is the most ambitious spirit experiment in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Distillery: Black Current Spirit
Located in a converted whaling station, Black Current Spirit is a three-person operation. We specialize in “Slow-Infusion” gins using botanicals foraged by hand from the slopes of the Groot Winterhoek mountains and meticulously sourced botanicals. While we produce a range of acclaimed spirits, “The400” is our singular obsession—a gin designed to be “tempered by the Cape of Storms.”
Black Current Spirit is a small, family-owned artisan gin distillery in the Western Cape, South Africa, dedicated to crafting exceptional spirits inspired by the rich biodiversity of the fynbos kingdom and the powerful forces of the South African coastline. Our philosophy centers on patience, precision, and pioneering techniques.
Retrieval Day | The Ascent
Each of the 400 individually numbered bottles of “The400” bears a unique “oceanic patina”—a delicate crystallization of salt and marine minerals, carefully preserved beneath a protective resin, making each bottle a tangible artifact of its incredible journey. The presentation is equally remarkable, encased in a custom-built “Atmospheric Vault” crafted from reclaimed shipwreck timber, complete with a permanently set barometer at 40 Bar.
“The400” is expected to become an instant highly exclusive, limited-batch release, collector’s item and a benchmark for innovation in the spirits world. Due to its extremely limited quantity, bottles will be available exclusively via a private ballot system. However, we, Black Current Spirits, have officially opened pre-order applications for collectors (existing AND new clients) and connoisseurs worldwide via: (pre-order enquiry here…), only shipping (worldwide), no collection.
Key Features of “The400”:
- Ingredients: meticulously sourced botanicals saffron, wood ants, mulberry leaves, aged juniper, fynbos botanicals.
- Aged: 20 years in French Oak barrels + 400 days submerged in the Atlantic.
- Submersion: 400 meters deep, off the coast of Cape Point.
- Vessel: Proprietary “Agulhas Sphere” with hydrostatic pressure regulation.
- Yield: Exactly 400 individually numbered, hand-finished bottles.
Flavor Profile: notes of aged juniper, fynbos botanicals, salted caramel, slight citrusy, luxurious, earthy, floral, touch of sweetness and marine minerality.
“This isn’t just about aging; it’s about transformation,” explains Johannes de Beer, Lead Engineer for the project. “The pressure forces an intimate molecular marriage, resulting in a spirit with an almost velvety viscosity and a flavor profile that resonates with the profound depths from which it emerged.”
The 44% ABV is “locked in” the moment the valves equalize, ensuring that the bottle you open is chemically identical to the day it was submerged, only slight structurally transformed.