It's Gin O'Clock: The Best Aussie-Made Bottles To Enjoy This World Gin Day

It's hard to single out just one top gin by this Melbourne-based distillery when such a brilliant range is on offer. More unusual varieties  include their Bloody Shiraz Gin, a blended type spiked with Shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley, or the Spiced Negroni Gin, made especially to work perfectly in the much-loved cocktail. But for a sure-fire hit at gin o'clock, you can't go wrong with Four Pillars' Rare Dry Gin, which boasts rich, fruity tones cut with accents of star anise and Tasmanian pepperberry leaf for added warmth.  

The Melbourne Gin Company

Another hometown hero takes the craft of small batch distilling to new heights. With eleven botanicals, both locally sourced and imported exotics, a huge amount of skill goes into every bottle. To compliment and tart sweetness of the juniper berries, the clever gin masters at MGC use coriander seeds and rosemary as the foundation of their distilling process. The final component is water - big deal, you might say. But this H20 doesn't come from a tap. They only use rainwater from the Gembrook in the Yarra Ranges. Fancy!

Canberra Distillery Gin

In our nation's humble capital, gin making is "equal parts science and art." And like any good scientists, this deliciously refined gin is the product of much experimentation to ensure the perfect balance of smooth, tight-cut spirits and heady,  complex botanicals. In their tireless endeavours, the distillers use a vapour-infused production at low temperatures to protect the delicate flavours of citrus and wild berries. They also boast a cracking triple distilled Vodka, that's carbon filtered to ensure the cleanest possible palate. 

Southern Wild Dasher & Fisher Mountain Gin

Take a short hop over to Tasmania and you can find some of the best gin this side of the equator. Made at the Southern Wild Distillery in Davenport, this uses nothing but snowmelt water filtered through the hinterlands of the island's north-west. Their classic London dry, so named the Mountain Gin as it only uses ingredients found among the foothills of nearby Cradle Mountain, is a copper pot distilled variety with 11 botanicals that champion the native pepperberries and other indigenous herbs. And how best to enjoy this perfectly crafted drop? They suggest a G&T garnished with a fresh sprig of lavender.

MEMO Gin

The men behind Melbourne Moonshine, Andrew Fitzgerald and Ben Bowles, are far from one trick ponies. While they've been distilling top quality corn mash moonshine for the past few years, they're now applying their skills to more familiar staples from the spirits section. Their debut gin – a classic London dry – boasts a rich, fruity flavour and a smooth-as-silk finish, but surprisingly it only features six botanicals and unlike many other Aussie-made gins, there are no indigenous flora in the mix. This restraint is quite deliberate; as with their moonshine range, MEMO is pitched as a contender for the international juggernaut brands rather than a local novelty. And for our money at least, this gin is definitely not punching above its weight.