How do you make the cider?
Apples first pulped pulped and then the juice filtered and dosed with yeast to start fermentation. Slow fermentation for between 6 weeks and as long as 3 months equates to less loss of delicate aromas and ends with a cider with an alcohol content at the end around 7.5% ABV. Incidentally, apples have a high concentration of phenolics and antioxidants, hence their being regarded as a part of a healthy diet!!

Why a cognac potstill?
Although less efficient from a time and production point of view than a reflux or continuous still, it preserves more complexity during the distillation process, taking more of the esters across into the distillate.

Why copper?
The pot, helm, gooseneck and condensor are all made from South African copper. Copper ensures even distribution of heat in the pot, preventing "burning" of the cider. In the helm and condensor, copper removes organo-sulphur based compounds which otherwise may give an unpleasant taste to the spirit.

How old is it / how long is it matured?
The 2009 years release is the product of blending of some 5 years worth of production with the youngest spirit selected having rested for 2 years in oak.

Why is Malus uniquely South African?
From the raw materials used to build the distillery, potstill to the production process and final packaging, the partners have made a conscious effort to ensure that all components are sourced and valued added in South Africa. As far as we are aware, this is the only distillery offering a terroir apple spirit in the country. The design (www.atpace.co.za), handcrafting elements (www.aidanbennetts.co.za) and packaging (www.merrypak.co.za) all reinforce this effort.

What additives or flavourants are used?
Other than yeast to initiate the cider fermentation, there are no additives, flavourants, colourants or maturation accelerants, such as woodchips, used at any stage in the process. The product you see is a consequence of the natural conditions in the Elgin environment.

Can I visit the distillery?
The De Rust estate outside Elgin is the home of both the Elgin Distilling Company and Paul Cluver Wines. It is open to the public and tours of the distillery are welcome by prior arrangement.

What benefits does a purchaser of Malus receive?
To start the relationship, we record any purchaser or recipient of Malus for the entitlement option to participate in the next release. Personalised visits to the distillery are welcomed and periodic functions will be hosted.

Who is involved?
The Elgin Distilling Company is a joint venture between the Cluvers (pioneers of the wine business in Elgin and doyens of the fruit industry) (www.cluver.com), Tim George (a reformed engineer from Anglo & De Beers who moved to the Cape after running and selling a London listed diamond exploration company) (www.3lawscapital.com), Mark Drewell (who heads up the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative in Brusells and, as ex Communications head at Barloworld, lead the rebranding of the company (www.glri.org) and Des Jones, (a luxury brand strategist who currently runs Grid Worldwide, the brand strategy company) (www.gridworldwide.com).

Where did the idea come from?
Mark & Tim both grew up among apple orchards of Somerset and Kent. Both share a passion for fine spirits and sought to create one in South Africa. The collaboration with the Cluvers has allowed use of their cellar wine vats to brew cider ouside of the wine season, provided a home for the distillery along with being the source of the maturation barrels.

Is it available generally elsewhere?
Cape Town's One & Only bar is stocking Malus at R750 per tot for those who want to sample it... as the exclusive outlet to the public. Guests in the One & Only Presidential Suite may be gifted one in the event of an extended stay.

How do you assess the value?
As a corporate gift, consider the all in cost of say entertaining a guest / VIP in a box at a sports event. Plus this is a unique South African product. Then there's the life of the decanter and Sepal after the final drop of Malus is gone. We believe time for appreciation and awareness will allow us to put Malus in context with the top luxury brands. For example, the top ten cognacs in the world are priced from R41,000 to R15 million for a single decanter.

Why include a book?
People generally want to be able to share a story about origins and what sets a particular product apart. So the book serves as a reminder of the story and acts as a prompt through artwork, images & poetry to evoke the senses and explain each step in the process.

Why limit production and only produce one product?
There being only one pot still allows total focus on producing a high quality product in each distillation and, very importantly for us, to also maintain a relationship to our clients!

(By way of example, a Mont Blanc limited edition pen is around 18,000 units and its now not uncommon for a waiter to present you with a generic Mont Blanc to sign the bill. How does that make the owner of a limited edition pen feel about the brand?)

What spirit does it compare to? / What are the closest drinks?
Under alcohol classification regulations, its not a brandy (which is from grapes by definition), its not a whiskey (generally from barley or grain), similarly for rum, gin, vodka which are classified spirits based on their raw materials... we're creating a new brand identity in the "unspecified spirit" category reflecting its origins as an apple spirit, based on the feedstock.

We've not attempted to position it in comparison to anything but the close cousins are calvados from Normandy in France, the Somerset Cider Company's apple brandy in the UK and its known as applejack in parts of the USA. Each method of manufacture has its differences in terms of the type of apple feedstock, cider fermentation and distillation methodology - mainly in continous stills rather than potstills.

What happens in future releases?
We will evolve the design of the decanter and Sepal as we go along. It will be recognisable as a series from a collectors viewpoint with each variation being indicative of the particular annual release.