Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/10329
BRAND SPOTLIGHT South Africa’s A marula is to South Africa what Guinness is to Ireland. This indigenous spirit, nicknamed “the spirit of Africa,” can be seen—and tasted— everywhere across the country. Whether staying in a chic retreat or on safari in the veldt, you’re sure to find a small bottle on your nightstand. It’s as African as the safaris themselves. Distell is Africa’s leading producer of fine wines, spirits and ciders, and Amarula is clearly the compa- ny’s crown jewel and flagship spirit. While Amarula may be new to the international circuit, its raw material, the marula fruit, dates as far back as 10,000 B.C. and is indigenous to sub-equatorial Africa. The fruit grows on marula trees—or elephant trees, as they’re called, from the pachyderms’ fondness for the ripe fruit—and only in this one region of the planet. The fruit cannot be cultivated. The local people, who are paid by the kilo for their delivery, harvest it in the wild. Spiritual Side KAREN LOFTUS DIPS INTO AMARULA FOR AN INTOXICATING SLICE OF LIFE African elephants surround the marula tree. 92 / the tasting panel / may 2010