Kyami Gin

Kyami means ours in Kaonde, one of the languages of Zambia, and the name suits a gin presented as the first craft gin in the world made almost entirely from Zambian ingredients. It is distilled in small batchesSmall batchProduction in small quantities per distillation run, often in a small still. The term has no legal definition.Glossary in Lusaka, the capital, from a cassava-based spirit, at a distillery that runs on solar power and recycles its water. The hand-painted label, by a local artist, is crowded with fruit, birds and wildlife, including an elephant.

Citrus · Fruity · Herbal

The recipe has a family history behind it. It began with a grandmother who made fruit wine from produce gathered in the surrounding countryside; her son and his daughter later refined her method into a gin. The botanicals include African juniper, wild masau, local mango leaves, musekese, the monkey bread fruit of the baobab, as well as orange and lemon.

The distillery describes a fresh, vibrant nose led by the resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary depth of African juniper.

The palate is smooth and rounded, opening with a honeyed, fruity sweetness from the masau and citrus. The finish turns earthy, with a nutty spice from the musekese and gentle tannins that taper into a light peppery warmth. That balance earned Kyami a bronze medal in the Contemporary GinContemporary ginAlso called New Western: juniper is still there, but other botanicals (citrus, flowers, spice) take the lead.GlossarySee Contemporary gin gins category of the 2026 Gin Guide Awards and a silver medal at the Global Gin Masters, run by The Spirits Business, the same year.

Kyami recommends keeping it simple: over ice with a light tonicLight tonicA low- or no-sugar tonic, often sweetened with substitutes. Drier, it brings out the bitterness and the gin.Glossary, or with half tonic and half soda water to let the fruit show. A slice of orange is enough as a garnish. The distillery also serves it in a Masau Old Fashioned and a Musekese Gin Sour, two drinks built on the gin's local botanicals. Masau, a small wild fruit related to the jujube, gives the Old Fashioned its name and a dried-fruit sweetness.