All in the family
Family owned & operated
In the rugged coastal reaches of the Western Cape, near the kelp forests of False Bay, lies Black Current Spirits, 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 Spirits
Located in a converted whaling station, Black Current Spirits 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 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.”
The400
“The400” begins its life far from the ocean.
The400
- The Foundation: The base is a 20-year-old pot-still gin. It was distilled two decades ago with heavy juniper and African ginger, then left to rest in retired Chenin Blanc French Oak barrels. Over 20 years, the harsh botanicals mellowed into a complex, brandy-like spirit with notes of dried apricot and toasted rooibos.
- Ingredients: meticulously sourced botanicals saffron, wood ants, mulberry leaves, aged juniper, fynbos botanicals.
- The Final Transformation: In 2024, the aged spirit was finally bottled into 400 heavy-walled, light-shielding 750ml amber glass bottles, ready for the “Deep-Pressure Phase.”
The Sensory Experience
- Color: Deep honey-gold from two decades of wood contact.
- The Nose: A powerful hit of sea-salt spray and wild Buchu, followed by the rich, resinous scent of 20-year-old juniper.
- The Palate: Unlike any other gin, it has a “compressed” viscosity—thick and oily on the tongue. It tastes of salted caramel, dark honey, and a medicinal herbaceousness that is both cooling and intense.
- The Finish: A long, vibrating finish of wood-smoke and citrus peel that persists for several minutes.
The Engineering: The "Agulhas Sphere"
To survive the crushing depths of the Atlantic, the distillery commissioned a custom-built, Grade-316 Stainless Steel Sphere.
- Pressure Regulation: The sphere is equipped with twin hydrostatic regulation valves. These are not designed to keep the pressure out, but to let it in slowly. By equalizing the internal pressure of the sphere with the external ocean pressure, the glass bottles inside are compressed without shattering.
- The Submersion: The sphere was lowered to exactly 400 meters deep off the coast of Cape Point, where the cold Benguela Current meets the warm Agulhas.
- The 400-Day Compression: For 400 days, the gin exists in a state of molecular high-stress. The 40 atmospheres of pressure force the spirit to “contract,” integrating the oak tannins and floral oils at a density that cannot be achieved at sea level.
The Retrieval
Because of the 400 days spent at depth, each bottle bears a unique “oceanic patina”—a fine layer of mineral deposits and salt crystallization that is sealed under a protective clear resin before being boxed.
“We aren’t just selling gin; we are selling the weight of the ocean. At 400 meters, the silence and the pressure do something to the spirit that no master distiller could ever do by hand.” — Johannes de Beer, Lead Engineer at Black Current Spirits
TimeLine / THE MAKING OF THE400
12/2004 – 01/2025 | The Foundation (20 Years)
Gin distilled with juniper and Cape fynbos botanicals
Aged slowly in French oak barrels
Alcohol naturally reduces and integrates over time
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02/19/2025 | The Descent (400 Days)
400 bottles sealed inside the Agulhas Sphere
Lowered 400 meters beneath the Atlantic Ocean
Exposed to 40 bar pressure, darkness, and cold
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03/26/2026 Retrieval Day | The Ascent
Sphere lifted from ocean floor
Bottles recovered with oceanic patina intact.
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+300 Days 01/20/2027 | Global Release
Stabilization & certification
Final inspection and serialization
Worldwide release via private ballot.
