SA Lockdown Level 3

Update, 18 August:

Our store reopens its doors today and all online orders will be processed for delivery, in the order they were received. Our bar will remain closed until later in the week, hopefully to reopen on Friday. We will post full details once finalised here on our website.

Update, 12 July 10pm:

With immediate effect the SA government has reinstated the alcohol ban.

Our premises will thus be closed and we will not be able to process any online orders, until the restrictions are uplifted. This also impacts any sales completed before the announcement but not yet delivered or collected. Legally, we cannot allow you to collect and we cannot deliver, as it is not only the sale of alcohol that is banned but also the distribution/transportation of it. Your whisky will be safe, and along with any new online orders, we will get your whisky to you as soon as humanly possible, once we are allowed to do so.

ORIGINAL POST

As South Africa moves to lockdown level 3 as of Monday, 1 June, alcohol sales can once again resume. This means we can get back to doing what we do - although with some differences, as it is not quite a return to business-as-usual yet.

The simple truth is, we have one hand tied behind our back, which will make it a challenge to be as efficient and customer-centric as we pride ourselves in. Therefore, we ask and thank you, for your patience and understanding. Please trust that we will do our utmost to provide a world-class service, as always.

Please see below for our adjusted operating details, procedures and health and safety measures. 

OPERATING HOURS

As of Monday, 1-June, until further notice, our operating hours will be as follows, as instructed by the government:

DELIVERIES

Deliveries are only allowed to take place during Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm.

Due to the backlog of orders received over the last two months during lockdown, we anticipate a small (temporary) delay in our delivery times, as we prepare packages in the order they were received. 

Additionally, we expect our couriers to have a backlog as well as supplier delays in replenishing our whisky stocks. We will do whatever it takes to get your whisky to you as soon as possible, but again, we please ask for your patience.

Update, 22-June: We have cleared our backlog and are again processing all deliveries quickly and timeously. 

COLLECTIONS

Update, 28-June: Collections at the bar have resumed. It is has been relisted as an option at checkout.

Please do not collect your order until we have contacted you informing you that your order is ready. 

All collections at the bar are temporarily suspended - there will not be staff onsite at the bar, so there is no reason to go there. We will review this on a weekly basis and hope that in time we can offer the bar as a collection, and possible retail, option again.

Collections at the store will continue as usual, albeit with strict safety measures in place, as per below.

STORE SAFETY MEASURES

Regardless of your thoughts on the current pandemic, as a business we have a responsibility to err on the side of caution and ensure the safety and well being of our customers when interacting with us. As the greatest risk is physical interaction, we are adjusting the operations of our Hyde Park store as follows:

• Access to the inside of the store will be strictly controlled
• A staff member will be positioned outside the store to greet and help you
• Only 2 customers at a time will be allowed in the store to browse, limited to 5 minutes if there is a queue
• Customers looking to collect, will have their items brought to the outside of the store
• Customers looking to purchase whisky, who know what they want, can complete the purchase outside the store and then their whisky will be brought to them
• No entry to the store will be allowed without a face mask, temperature check and use of hand sanitiser

Depending on your views, this may seem somewhat severe, but the store is small and cozy at the best of times, and with suppliers delivering stock, couriers collecting orders, and our staff inside the store, we feel the above steps are necessary.

We will reassess and adjust these measures regularly in order to be as efficient and as safe (for our customers and our staff) as possible. 

WHISKY EVENTS

All public and private physical tastings are postponed until further notice; this sadly includes our annual whisky festival, The Only Whisky Show.

All scheduled tastings that have been missed, will be rescheduled once permitted and safe to do so.

We are currently working on arranging tasting packs that can be purchased for online tastings. We will reveal more once finalised over the next few weeks.