Mahala

Mahala Botanical came out of necessity. In 2020, South Africa's Covid-era ban on alcohol sales forced distilleries to stop producing spirits entirely. Danielle Schoeman, a Master Distiller running the Dona craft distillery in the Western Cape, used the downtime to experiment with something she had been curious about: genuinely distilled, alcohol-free spirits. She foraged botanicals from her family farm, developed a triple-distillation process using custom vacuum stills, and eventually landed on a recipe she thought was worth launching.

The brand name comes from Zulu slang for "free", a nod to what the liquid is free from: no alcohol, no sugar, no artificial flavours or colourants, gluten-free and vegan. Schoeman co-founded the brand in 2021 with Paul Scanlon, and the Classic expression won the trophy for Best Low/No Alcohol Spirit at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards in its first year.

The range currently runs to two expressions. The Classic uses nine hand-sourced botanicals, many indigenous to South Africa, with a delicately spiced character and citrus finish. The Amber, launched in 2023, brings in oak, smoke, and chilli for something warmer and more whisky-adjacent.

Mahala is available in the UK through specialist independent retailers and online stockists. The South African origin gives it a genuinely distinct botanical palette, drawing on ingredients that most European producers don't use. It sits in the premium end of the non-alcoholic spirits market and is primarily aimed at gin and whisky drinkers looking for a sophisticated substitute.

The Collection

Botanical Spirit