Coming to America: Award-winning Sango African Agave Spirit Launches in the US

Spearhead Spirits, the premium African spirits company, announces the release of Sango African agave spirit - a collection of 100% agave spirits made using wild African Agave Americana from the Karoo desert and Agave Salmiana from South Africa’s Eastern cape province. Sango launches with a blanco as well as a reposado that’s been rested in South African red wine casks for up to 12 months.

Sango is an African take on tequila that pays homage to Mexican agave mythology. The name Sango stems from the revered deity, Shango, the African god of thunder and lightning. In Mexican agave mythology, the agave plant was cooked by a lightning bolt striking from a thunderous sky, and the magical spirit that resulted from the agave being split open and releasing its juices was considered an elixir of the gods.

Agave Americana and Agave Salmiana find their second home in Africa and are found across several African countries, so they were a natural choice for the base of Sango. Whilst the African agave spirits industry is relatively nascent, Sango is bold in its approach and is the first African agave spirit to focus on a US launch. 

Sango is hand harvested, double distilled and bottled additive-free in KwaZulu-Natal. Spearhead sources much of its Americana Agave and Salmiana Agave from the arid, semi-desert region of Karoo and Eastern cape province, respectively, and is also experimenting with other varieties from other parts of Africa, such as Tanzania and Kenya. Spearhead hand-selects plants for Sango with a field-tested BRIX of between 24 - 35 before harvesting by hand. The agave is roasted using artisanal methods in a combination of ovens and fire pits before being double distilled. No additives are added to the spirit before bottling.

Sango has been available in South Africa for the past year and will be released into the US, the leading market for agave spirits globally.

Damola Timeyin, co-founder of Spearhead Spirits, comments: “The development of Sango has been 2.5 years in the making and has by far been the most challenging spirit to bring to life yet. We’ve had to start essentially from scratch to figure out how to create a high-quality African agave spirit using the very best from the continent. We instinctively believed that wild, polyculturally-grown agave is better – not just for the environment but also on the palate – and this focus on wild agave takes much more work and time to find the plants that will give you the goods. Just because it’s wild doesn’t mean that it’s perfect and it’s been a painstaking journey to identify the right process of field selecting and testing to give us agave with the flavor profile we’re after. Tastewise, Sango African agave will be familiar, yet different, and appeal to agave and cocktail lovers intrigued by the wild spirit of Africa who are looking to explore a fresh take on their favorite tequila cocktails.”

Sango has sustainability baked into production, sourcing wild agave grown in a polyculture and producing the spirit using less environmentally intensive, artisanal production methods in a distillery that is powered by the African sun that gives excess power back to the surrounding townships. Sango is also planting more agave to replenish and protect the wild source while promoting biodiversity. 

Sango Blanco 100% Agave African spirit

Made using wild Agave Americana and Agave Salmiana from Karoo and the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Double distilled and additive-free.

Tasting note:   Soft subtle nose and a lovely gentle palate with sparks of bell pepper, green chilli spice and a hint of chocolate. This is sweet and grassy with a short and sweet finish.

ABV:                  40% ABV

SRP:                   $45.00

Sango Reposado 100% Agave African spirit

Made using wild Agave Americana and Agave Salmiana from Karoo and the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Double distilled and additive free. Rested in South African red wine barrels for up to 12 months.

Tasting note:    Roasted bell pepper and sun-dried tomato meet zesty lime and cumin on the nose. Medium body with a hint of astringency, finishing strong with a punch of flavor.

ABV:                   40% ABV

SRP:                    $55.00

About Spearhead Spirits:

Spearhead Spirits is an award-winning premium African spirits company putting Africa on the world’s bar.

Founded in 2019 by Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin, Spearhead’s story set out to address the lack of African representation in distributor portfolios, bars and retailers globally and embarked on a mission to put Africa on every menu, shelf and drinks cabinet in the world. They have an award-winning portfolio of Gin, Vodka, Whisky and Agave spirits made in Africa, crafted with African ingredients from across the continent.