First Impressions
Craig Hutchison grew up in South Africa. Maria Sehlstrom is Swedish. When they visited the Cederberg mountains together — a rugged, beautiful municipality in the Western Cape — they found indigenous botanicals unlike anything in European gin: rooibos, the red bush tea that has become South Africa's most famous export, and buchu, a magical plant used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. They spent two years developing a non-alcoholic gin alternative that would combine these South African discoveries with classic European gin botanicals, distilling them individually in Sweden and blending with pristine Swedish water. Ceder's launched in 2017 and was acquired by Pernod Ricard in January 2021.
Tasting
Eighteen hand-picked botanicals from the Cederberg and across Europe are individually distilled, then blended at 0% ABV with zero sugar. The nose is recognisably gin-adjacent — juniper and coriander arriving cleanly with floral, earthy rooibos notes underneath. Lighter and more delicate than any alcoholic gin, but not a pale imitation. On the palate, the rooibos provides a sweet, nutty body that partially compensates for alcohol's absence, while buchu adds herbal complexity. Juniper and coriander maintain the gin framework, cardamom provides warmth. The finish is delicate and relatively short — clean juniper fading into rooibos sweetness — without the peppery bite that alcohol provides.
The Bottom Line
Ceder's Classic earns a 6 as one of the more convincing non-alcoholic gin alternatives available. It won Gold at the 2022 Spirits Business No & Low Masters for good reason — the South African botanicals give it genuine distinctiveness rather than simply trying to replicate gin and falling short. Best served with a premium Indian tonic and a slice of grapefruit. If you are looking for a non-alcoholic G&T that does not feel like a compromise, the Cederberg mountains have an answer.
