Knowing Karoo: In Conversation With the Surfer Putting South African Agave Spirits on the Map

In the Karoo desert, a South African agave spirits industry is taking form. We sat down with Leonista Spirit founder Sarah Joanna Kennan to learn more. (Photo: Leonista Spirit)

In the west of South Africa lies the Karoo, an expansive desert region defined by the sharp contrast between arid cloudless skies and luscious vegetation.

The Karoo is known for wild game reserves and million-year-old fossils just as much as it is for delicious lamb and honey. Soon, it’ll also be known for its agave spirits.

In February, Karoo-made agave spirits are set to be recognized with a protected designation of origin, just as how tequila and mezcal have protected designations within certain states of Mexico.

At the forefront of this new category is Sarah Joanna Kennan, an entrepreneur three-parts surfer, dancer, and founder of Leonista Spirit. Since the brand’s launch in 2017, Kennan has been working to cultivate a culture of South African agave spirits both within her country and abroad.

Sarah Joanna Kennan

So what makes Karoo agave different than tequila or mezcal?

We sat down with Kennan to learn about this unexpected new vista.

“The Karoo is at once quiet, romantic, and a harsh place to live. You have to be pretty hardy, pretty resourceful. But everything that grows here comes out so incredibly sweet,” said Kennan. 

Learning the Land

Agave americano fields in the Karoo. (Photo: Leonista Spirit)

Like many, Kennan first fell in love with tequila when she was in college. Specifically, good tequila, the kind often described as an upper rather than a downer. Fun times minus the nasty hangover.

“Alcohol is a social lubricant, but we’re understandably seeing a culture shift towards non-alcoholic options; people still want to be social and to have fun without the negative effect,” said Kennan. 

“The future of social beings — having fun in a more conscious and experimental manner — is good agave spirit.”

With this inspiration in mind, Kennan began brewing spirits in her garage using locally sourced agave syrup and a still. She’d give the bottles away to friends at music festivals, sometimes experimenting with flavorful additions like Karoo honey.

During a trip to Mexico, Kennan had a “eureka” moment when her focus expanded from tequila to mezcal.

“We don’t have blue weber agave in South Africa – something which always concerned me in the back of my mind. But we did have agave americano. And that was when everything clicked,” said Kennan. 

Agave americano, found widely throughout the Karoo as a food source for animals during times of drought, is a 5-foot-tall, 12-year varietal used in Mexican mezcal production but oftentimes delegated to the “niche” category compared to the likes of espadin or tobala.

Kennan found her plant, and after tinkering with the recipe in above-ground ovens, successfully launched the brand in 2017.

It should be noted that tequila can’t be called “tequila” nor mezcal “mezcal” unless it’s made in a handful of specific Mexican states.

Leonista, alongside similar upstarts in California and Australia, is experimenting with new possibilities.

This burgeoning trend of non-Mexican agave distillers are trying out techniques that would likely never be allowed within Mexico’s tightly regulated alcohol industry.

Many of these foreign distillers are still getting their footing, growing agave that is years, if not decades away from distillation. Leonista is one of the very, very few currently available on the market.

The Karoo and Beyond

(Photo: Leonista Spirit)

In terms of flavor, Leonista leans toward the smokiness of mezcal and the bright grassy bite of sotol.

Their agave-forward Blanco boasts notes of roasted vegetables and pineapple, while their eight-month ex-Brandy cask-aged Reposado introduces flavors of vanilla and caramel. In keeping with their roots, they also offer a Honey Reposado.

Though the Karoo has given birth to a fledgling industry of agave spirits, expanding international awareness is still a work in progress.

“If you were to look at the markets like rivers, South Africa is a slow-moving stream, the UK is a strong current and the U.S. is the Niagra Falls,” said Kennan.

Most of all, Kennan hopes that Leonista will be a spirit not only of the Karoo, but for the Karoo, likening her brand to the “Patagonia of the liquor industry.”

“1% of our proceeds go to the Samara Game Reserve. They’ve just successfully reintroduced lions, which has brought back vultures and all manner of other animals crucial to the ecosystem,” said Kennan. 

“Our goal is to support our farmers and continue rewilding the reserves of Africa.”

Leonista is currently available in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria and Japan, with plans to debut in the United States sometime in late 2023 to early 2024.

You can check out Leonista on Instagram here.

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