Mahala was created by Danielle Schoeman, a South African Master Distiller, who started experimenting with alcohol-free spirits on her family farm in the Western Cape in 2020. The name means "free" in Zulu slang, and the spirit is built around nine botanicals — clove, honeybush, orange, angelica root, buchu, cardamom, cassia bark, peppercorn, and citronella pelargonium — several of which are indigenous to the fynbos of the Western Cape. The production process runs each botanical through triple distillation in custom vacuum stills, which work at lower temperatures than conventional pot stills and help preserve the more delicate aromatic compounds. The result is something genuinely layered: warm spice from the clove and cassia, earthy depth from the buchu, a citrus lift from the orange and pelargonium, and a cool herbal finish. It contains no sugar, no calories, and no artificial colour or flavouring. It is vegan and gluten-free. Mahala took the Trophy for Best Low/No Alcohol Spirit at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards in its launch year and won Best Tea Cocktail (Non-Alcoholic) in London in 2022. Available in the UK.