Launched in September 2018, Fines gin was created by professional rugby players Pat Cilliers and Mike Rhodes, along with distiller Sion Edwards. Yep. You read that right. It’s a gin brand founded by two South African rugby union stars.
Cilliers, who plays for RFU Championship side London Irish, and Rhodes, who represents English Premiership side Saracens, decided to found Fines while contemplating what was the best way to spend their post-rugby career. Naturally, the duo settled on creating a tipple that could compliment life's great occasions (such as winning at the rugby, no doubt).
While Cilliers and Rhodes, who have been best friends for over two decades, were fans of gin, they weren’t experts on how to create it. That’s where renowned distiller Edwards came in. When the time came to bottle their product, Cilliers and Rhodes opted for a unique wrap to cover the bottles that were designed to represent the jerseys that rugby players wear.