We were so cooked we missed World Gin Day last Saturday — probably too many gins. But that doesn't mean today, any day, every day isn't a great time to talk about the artisanal gin distillers coming out of Australia.
Archie Rose Distilling Co
This boutique distillery and bar has been running for a year in Rosebery: the first independent distillery in the City Of Sydney in over 160 years. New limited edition gin the Archie Rose Tailored Gin plays with the flavours of cassia bark, orange and Angelica root - only 900 bottles are available now at Vintage Cellars.
Melbourne Gin Company
Melbourne Gin Company offer up hand-crafted, batch-distilled and non chill filtered gin, made at Gembrook Hill Vineyard in the Yarra Valley. There are 11 botanicals extracted, distilled and blended into a Melbourne Dry Gin - juniper berries, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, rosemary, sandalwood, macadamia, honey lemon myrtle, navel orange, angelica root, orris root and cassia bark.
Poor Toms Gin
Poor Toms Gin moved from co-founders Jesse Kennedy and Griffin Blumer's kitchen table in Sydney's Inner West to a little warehouse in Marrickville just last year. Oh, and the lads behind it named their 200-litre German copper still Jane. They handcraft small batch gin from Australian wheat spirit, featuring hints of fresh green apple, native strawberry gum-leaf and chamomile.
Four Pillars Distillery
Four Pillars were established at the end of 2013 in the Yarra Valley, starting off by making small batches of 420 bottles, each bottle numbered and hand-labelled. For World Gin Day they've got a Bloody Shiraz Gin arriving on shelves - yes, the product of Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes steeped in high proof Rare Dry Gin for eight weeks.
