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Directory / South Africa

Distilleries and liquor manufacturers in South Africa

98 producers listed.

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South Africa at a glance

Capital
Pretoria (executive); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)
Currency
South African rand (ZAR)
Languages
Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tshivenda, Xhosa, Xitsonga, Zulu
Climate
Generally temperate, varying from desert in the north-west to subtropical in the east. South-west has a Mediterranean climate (wet winters, hot dry summers). Winter is June-August; recorded extremes 48.8 C and -20.1 C.
Alcohol per adult
8.4 litres of pure alcohol a year (2022, WHO)
Spirits imports
US$338.4 million (2023); mainly from France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico
Spirits exports
US$121.7 million (2023); mainly to code 516, code 72, code 716, France
Import duty on spirits
Standard (MFN) rate 2023: whisky specific/compound duty, WITS AVE estimate about 0.87%; vodka specific/compound duty, WITS AVE estimate about 1.14%; rum specific/compound duty, WITS AVE estimate about 1.41%; gin specific/compound duty, WITS AVE estimate about 1.02%
Popular brands
Hennessy (LVMH), Gordon's (Diageo), Johnnie Walker (Diageo), Jameson (Pernod Ricard), Captain Morgan Spiced (Diageo), Three Ships / Bain's (Heineken Beverages (ex-Distell)), Amarula (Heineken Beverages (ex-Distell)), KWV brandy (KWV)
Major producers
Distell (bought by Heineken in 2023, now Heineken Beverages), KWV, Pernod Ricard (Inverroche gin, full ownership Feb 2025)
The market
SAB (South African Breweries) controls most of the beer market with Castle Lager, Castle Lite, Castle Milk Stout, Hansa Pilsner and Carling Black Label (Wikipedia, Beer in South Africa; older figures: ~60 L beer per head in 2012; 211 craft breweries in 2019). Spirits market data not yet sourced.
Making spirits
Distillers need a SARS Excise licence before making spirits on which duty has not been paid. Licence types on the SARS spirits page include manufacturing warehouse (DA 185.4B2), agricultural distiller (DA 185.4B11), owning or keeping stills (DA 185.4B12) and manufacturing or importing stills (DA 185.4B13). Duty is payable throughout SACU and self-assessed monthly via eFiling. Source: https://www.sars.gov.za/customs-and-excise/excise/alcohol-products/spirits/
Importing
Not verified in detail. Manufacturers and distributors register under the national Liquor Act 59 of 2003 (applications go to the Minister); retail sale is licensed by the provinces. Illicit alcohol was about 18% of volumes in 2025 and spirits are only about 3.4% of consumption by volume but about 22% by value (2022), so imported premium brands compete mostly on value. Customs and excise rates were not confirmed.
Advertising
WHO country profile (2018 edition, data c.2016): legally binding national rules - advertising: no; product placement: no; sponsorship: no; sales promotion: no; health-warning requirement - on adverts: no; on containers: yes. Status may have changed since; check current national advertising code.
Sale restrictions
WHO country profile (2018 edition, data c.2016): national limits on sale - on-premise: hours/days no, places/density no; off-premise: hours/days no, places/density no; restrictions - specific events: no; intoxicated persons: no; petrol stations: no; minimum age for spirits - on-premise 18, off-premise 18. Online sales not covered by the profile; check current local licensing rules.

Regulators: SARS Excise (licensing, excise duty)

Trade bodies and fairs: Whisky Live South Africa, ProWein, Dusseldorf (international wine and spirits fair)

Compiled by Distillers Hub in October 2026 from the World Bank, WHO, UN Comtrade, the WITS tariff database and the sources below. Figures change: check with the regulator or a customs broker before you act.

Sources (16)

About South Africa

South Africa is located at the southern tip of the African continent. Its official languages include English, Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. The country's economy is well known for its mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and financial services sectors.

The spirits market

Commercial alcohol is legal, with sales handled through licensed private retailers and dedicated bottle stores without a state monopoly. Importers require SARS customs registration and distribution authorisations, while local distillers manufacture gin, brandy, rum, vodka, liqueurs, and whisky. The fiscal burden includes 15% VAT alongside spirits excise duties up to R302.84 per litre of absolute alcohol. Lowering the minimum threshold to 40% ABV lowers technical barriers for exporters targeting demand for premium spirits.

Licences, import duty and labelling rules in South Africa

Spirits importers and distributors in South Africa

Duty-free and travel-retail shops in South Africa

Who makes liquor in South Africa? This list covers 98 liquor manufacturers and distilleries — Distillery 031, Hope Distillery, De Vry Distillery, Gember Distillery and more: whisky, rum, gin, vodka, brandy, neutral spirit (ENA) and local spirits producers, with their towns, products and websites. See also how to import or export liquor to South Africa and the licences needed to make it there.

Listings are compiled from public sources. Companies marked Verified have confirmed their details. If this is your company, claim the profile free to correct it, or ask us to remove it. Not listed? Add your company free.

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