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Witblits, or White Lightning (which later became a nickname for Allan Donald for his fast bowling speed and his quick and terrifying pace) is a clear spirit that has been distilled in South Africa for many years. Witblits is predominately produced in the Western Cape where it has enjoyed over 200 years. [1] Many producers take great pride in their product, often brewing small batches to sell at informal markets so as to maintain or improve their recipes. Another name used to describe this alcoholic beverage is "firewater", a name earned without a doubt from the strong punch it delivers.
In 1924 KWV was granted legal control over the production of wine, spirits and brandy. [2] Accordingly, the distillation of Witblits was criminalized for many years. Although KWV maintained a monopoly on certain lines of liquor, it is evident that many traditions and familial practices could be maintained. Once the ban was lifted distilling for personal use is now legal, provided an appropriate license is obtained.
Witblits is a brandy made from grapes, usually by using leftovers from the winery. Witblits is un-aged, meaning no maturation takes place which results in the liquid staying quite clear. Another one of Witblits' traits is that it is undiluted; this gives it its characteristically high proof. These factors, as with Mampoer, [3] allow us to classify Witblits as Moonshine. The association to Moonshine should not necessarily be linked to quality. Many farmers take pride in making witblits using refined handed down recipes [4] resulting in a brandy of higher quality than typical moonshine.
Drinking - The dominant reason for production. Witblits consumption is associated with social activities as well as those of relaxation.
Cleaning Agent - Thanks to Witblits' high alcohol content it is really good at cutting through stains and clean them up. Add to this that the alcohol has a strong smell and evaporates quickly, it can be used to assist with deodorizing too.
Medical Applications - Witblits is a strong disinfectant, again due to the high alcohol content. Alcohol denatures proteins very well and by extension germs too. Soaking items in Witblits or rubbing it onto an area where skin is going to be pierced (Example. injections and piercings) will reduce the risk of infection.
Herbal Remedies - The high alcoholic content has found use by many as a solvent in tinctures, increasing the shelf-life and effectiveness of the flowers and herbs in use.
Various farms producing Witblits in the Western Cape have scheduled witblits tastings and witblits tours to promote the liquor and raise the profile of their brands. In Philippolis, located in the Free State Province, an annual Witblits Festival is held every April, where visitors to the festival and taste and purchase their Witblits liquors. If you do find yourself attending the Wiblits Festival, be prepared to witness or partake in the ’bokdrol spoeg’ [4] a competition which involves spitting Witblits-soaked kudu droppings.
Brand Name | Alcohol% | Notes |
---|---|---|
Hanzet Witblits | 43% | |
Akkedis Built Witblits | 55% | |
Wurm Sous | 70% | contains pickled Mopane worms |
Nyati J Nyati JJJ JJ | 60% | Jack’s Jungle Juice |
Ronnie Sex Shop’s Witblits | ||
Brandslang | 50% | |
Witblits, Windpomp | 50% | |
Byt | 45% | |
Boegoeblits | 50% |
Witblits distillation for the purpose of large volume resale is illegal in South Africa. In 1924 the government passed legislation which gave KWV a monopoly on brandy production. All stills had to be marked and registered with Customs and Excise, and detailed records kept as to the amount and strength of any liquor produced. Farmers were allowed to produce liquor only from fruit grown on their land. In the United States of America moonshine is illegal mainly due to the revenue that it produces compared to beer or wine. The tax excise on spirits is approximately $2.14 per bottle compared to $0.14 per bottle of wine and $0.05 per can of beer. There is also a concern for the health of consumers thereof and the safety risk behind homemade brewing due to the apparatus involved. In some South African states a person can still purchase a legal version of witblits or moonshine from commercial distillers. Total volume produced cannot exceed a fixed amount per year as detailed in local South African laws. [5] [6]
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of aging, and some are produced using a combination of aging and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from south-western France.
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed illegally. Its clandestine distribution is known as bootlegging. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial distilleries have adopted the term for its outlaw cachet and begun producing their own legal "moonshine", including many novelty flavored varieties, that are said to continue the tradition by using a similar method and/or locale of production.
A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as effectively as other distillation methods. Pot stills operate on a batch distillation basis. Traditionally constructed from copper, pot stills are made in a range of shapes and sizes depending on the quantity and style of spirit desired.
Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume. Grappa is a protected name in the European Union.
Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that is matured in a solera system in the Jerez area of Andalusia, Spain. Besides being sold as a brandy, it is also an ingredient of some sherries. It has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), being matured exclusively within the "Sherry Triangle", the municipal boundaries of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the province of Cádiz.
Aguardente (Portuguese) or aguardiente (Spanish) is a type of distilled alcoholic spirit that contains between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is a somewhat generic term that can refer to liquors made from various foods. It originates from and is typically consumed on the Iberian Peninsula and in Iberian America.
Liquor or distilled beverage is an alcoholic drink produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include spirit, spirituous liquor or hard liquor. The distillation process concentrates the liquid to increase its alcohol by volume. As liquors contain significantly more alcohol (ethanol) than other alcoholic drinks, they are considered "harder." In North America, the term hard liquor is sometimes used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones, whereas the term spirits is more commonly used in the UK. Some examples of liquors include vodka, rum, gin, and tequila. Liquors are often aged in barrels, such as for the production of brandy and whiskey, or are infused with flavorings to form flavored liquors, such as absinthe.
Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills. This is in contrast to the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is aged in oak barrels before release. Production is overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA).
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain or fruit depending upon the country of origin. It is sometimes spelled arak, or simply referred to as 'rack or 'rak. It is not to be confused with the anise-flavored distilled spirit called arak or araq. In many parts of India arrack is colloquially known as "desi daru".
Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countries, denatured alcohol or denatured rectified spirit may commonly be available as "rectified spirit", because in some countries the retail sale of rectified alcohol in its non-denatured form is prohibited.
KWV South Africa (Proprietary) Limited is one of the leading wine and spirits producers in South Africa. Its brands include Roodeberg, KWV Wines & KWV Brandies, and Laborie.
Orujo is a pomace brandy from northern Spain. It is a transparent spirit with an alcohol content over 50%. Its name comes from the expression "aguardiente de orujo".
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town by its founder and governor Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to new investment in the South African wine market. Production is concentrated around Cape Town and almost exclusively located within the Western Cape province, with major vineyard and production centres at Constantia, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.
Applejack is a strong alcoholic drink produced from apples. Popular in the American colonial era, the drink's prevalence declined in the 19th and 20th centuries amid competition from other spirits.
Lambanóg is a traditional Filipino distilled palm liquor. It is an alcoholic liquor made from the distillation of naturally fermented sap (tubâ) from palm trees such as sugar palm, coconut, or nipa. Lambanog is well-known for having a strong alcohol concentration and can be used as a base liquor for various flavored spirits and cocktail creations. The most popular variety is the coconut lambanog which is commonly described as "coconut vodka" due to its clear to milky white color and high alcohol content. It originates from Luzon and the Visayas Islands. During the Spanish colonial period, it was also known as vino de coco in Spanish. It is particularly potent, having a typical alcohol content of 80 to 90 proof after a single distillation; this may go as high as 166 proof after the second distillation.
Fruit brandy is a distilled beverage produced from mash, juice, wine or residues of edible fruits. The term covers a broad class of spirits produced across the world, and typically excludes beverages made from grapes, which are referred to as plain brandy or pomace brandy. Apples, pears, apricots, plums and cherries are the most commonly used fruits.
An alcoholic beverage (also called an adult beverage, alcoholic drink, strong drink, or simply a drink) is a beverage containing alcohol (ethanol). Alcoholic drinks are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—and typically their alcohol content is between 3% and 50%.
The early history of the South African wine industry can be traced to the founding of a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company. Jan van Riebeeck was given the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wine and grapes in the Wijnberg ; that could be used to ward off scurvy for sailors continuing on their voyages along the spice route. In 1685, another Cape Governor, Simon van der Stel, purchased a large 750-hectare (1,900-acre) estate, founding what later became the world-renowned Constantia wine estate. In the 19th century, South Africa fell under British rule which proved lucrative for the wine industry as South African wine flowed into the British market. This prosperity lasted until the 1860s when the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty signed by the Palmerston government and France reduced the preferential tariffs that benefited South African wine in favor of French wine exports.