[imagesource: Kinship Spirits]

I dabbled in a spot of brandy this past weekend.

I won’t name names, but it wasn’t the high-class stuff, and there were definitely some Sunday repercussions to my misdeeds.

Onwards and upwards, because a good brandy will remind you exactly why you keep coming back for more.

In Cape Town, craft gins are all the rage, but we’re also seeing an increase in the number of brandies getting the treatment.

Should your Father’s Day plans involve the giving or receiving of some quality spirits, consider the fact that Kinship Spirits is running a Father’s Day special that ticks all the boxes.

With every purchase through their online shop, you will receive a mini Karo Brandy XO (50ml) taster.

The range of spirits consists of Malachite Fynbos Gin, Elephanton Rum, Albatross Vodka, and the aforementioned brandy.

Kinship draws on local narratives – implanted in a country rich in its traditions of oral histories and storytelling – to craft a range of fine, small-batch, craft spirits (from local produce), each one steeped in South African symbolism.

The 13-year-old premium Karo Cape Brandy XO personifies a mythical story from a mystical valley between the Swartberg and Langeberg mountain ranges, the home of the farm that grows the Colombar grapes that are the essence of the spirit.

Distilled in copper pot stills and matured in French oak barrels for 13 years, all under the watchful eye of Master Distiller Kobus Gelderblom at Oude Molen Distillery, the final blend results in an exclusive flavour combination of delicate dried peaches and litchi, with a hint of indigenous Karoo herbs, and a lingering aftertaste of vanilla and apricot.

Certainly beats my lingering Sunday aftertaste of regret.

For the gin aficionados, I would highly recommend giving Malachite Fynbos Gin a bash.

The gin is a celebration of the beauty and wonder of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest and most diverse of all the world’s floral kingdoms.

Using only hand-picked, sustainable floral botanicals, the infused fynbos is in perfect harmony with the classic gin botanicals, with subtle juniper flavours mingling with hints of elderflower and chamomile, spring blooms, and delicate spice.

To finish, there’s a fruity touch of lingering lemon rind.

You can order all of Kinship’s flagship spirits via their online shop, and any order will score you that mini Karo Cape Brandy XO bottle (while stocks last).

That way, you can ease into the Father’s Day festivities with a brandy taster before you commit.

And remember, don’t let Monday ruin your Sunday.