It's hard to review a place when your visit was ca...

It's hard to review a place when your visit was cancelled, but our situation was disturbing enough I felt it should be shared.

On Friday, 02 March 2018, my family scheduled a tasting at Van Ryn distillery. As a former whiskey distiller myself, this was set to be the highlight of our visit to Stellenbosch. We booked online for 16:00 and received confirmation via email. At 14:00 that day we called to confirm our booking since we had scheduled the entire day around this visit; we were told every thing was in order.

At 15:55 we arrived at the distillery and met a couple families exiting -- they were friendly and in good spirits and told us to enjoy our visit. However, the security guard stopped us at the door and told us they were closed. I told him we had a reservation, but he pointed me to a sign saying the distillery would be closed 03-04 March. I pointed out it was the 2nd, but he told us we had to go. He did call the people inside who also confirmed our visit was to be cancelled. Since this visit was important to us, I insisted to speak with someone in charge.

My wife and I entered the facility (which is beautiful by the way) while my parents stayed in the parking lot with our children. This is when things got weird.

We were told that distillery had to be shut down and we had to leave immediately. I explained my situation and asked for an explanation since we had a reservation that had been confirmed 2 hours prior. They refused to give us an answer and eventually said it was a safety issue and we had to go. Safety is a big deal for me, and if the staff were implying that I was unsafe, I think it's appropriate to get information on the situation. I asked what sort of safety issue so we could take appropriate precautions, but they refused to give us any more information. They offered me a brandy bottle (which I did not take) and told us to leave without giving any more details. As I was walking out, I was able to get one person to tell me that the situation may have involved a robbery. The whole thing felt very odd.

I understand the very real concern about crime in Southern Africa and I take safety very seriously. That being said, there are several things that simply didn't sit well with me.

1.) What sort of safety situation would require a 2.5 day shut down? I would be hesitant to visit unless I knew what happened and what was being done in the future to prevent such incidents.
2.) If there was a robbery that forced the shut down of the distillery, then why weren't the police there? Why were the families ahead of us coming out in such good spirits?
3.) If it was safety situation, why not give enough information to ensure that I could protect my family. If there were a robber on the loose, I don't want my parents and children wandering outside. Again, why no police or increased security?
4.) If it was a recent development that required the distillery to be shut down, why was our visit confirmed hours before the actual visit? Plus, how did staff have time to print and laminate sheets announcing their upcoming closure but not notify us of the change. The timing seems very odd.

Looking through the other reviews of Van Ryn Distillery, it seems that a common negative thread is that people who show up towards the end of the day are often turned away or treated poorly. I sincerely hope that the staff at Van Ryn did not fabricate a "safety" situation in order to close early prior to a scheduled shut down.

If there truly was a safety situation, I do not feel that the staff adequately communicated what was going on. The setting (happy families departing, lack of police/security, etc.) certainly did not match the message that was being delivered. Crime (and other safety issues) do occur and I understand that; but in a sensitive situation, communication is key and the staff certainly dropped the ball.

It seems that many people have had great experiences at the distillery, but the situation we encountered was disturbing enough that I would not consider revisiting or encouraging others to visit during their time in the area.