Australian Gin: Turning the Gin World Upside Down.
When we think of Gin, Australia isn’t necessarily a country that we immediately associate with it...But that is set to change.
For almost twenty years, the UK has been experiencing something of a Gin revival, as part of a wider, vintage revival, scene, seeing the drink transformed from the old fashioned spirit, associated with grandmothers and drinks cabinets topped with lace runners, to the sophisticated drink of choice being reclaimed by a younger generation seeking something more adventurous in their drinking.
Yet it seems that our Antipodean cousins, whilst a little late to the party, are not ones to be outdone by the Poms. In the five years from 2009 to 2014, Gin consumption in Australia rose by almost 50% across most age groups and, with micro-distilleries cropping up across the country every other week, Australian’s are becoming spoilt for choice.
Australia is home to some truly unique botanicals, with exotic fruits such as finger limes, pepperberries, lilly pillies and bush tomatoes being utilised to create some of the country’s finest, most distinctive, Gins...But Australian Gin producers are not satisfied with simply creating the country’s finest, and seek to be counted among the world’s finest.
Jeremy Spencer from West Winds, one of the first boutique Gin distilleries in Australia, notes the company’s, and nation’s, determination to overcome its underdog status in the world Gin race: “We challenged those who said we couldn't make Gin in Australia by winning over the public, media, and judges at world spirit shows like San Francisco and London.”
Where to Buy
To buy The West Winds Gin: The Sabre from Amazon.co.uk click here.
To buy The West Winds Gin: The Sabre from Thedrinkshop.com click here.
While Stuart Gregor, co-owner of Four Pillars Gin, has produced a distinctly contemporary Australian Gin in releasing his first batch late in 2013 notes: "Much like modern Australian food, we use Asian botanicals, flavours from the Middle East and Europe, and then the best of Indigenous botanicals. And it comes together to make a style that we think is unique."
Clearly, as here in the UK, Australia’s Gin revival has moved beyond a mere trend. As world-renowned mixologist, Charlotte Voisey, put it: “I think with Gin - it's no longer a trend now. Gin is back in its rightful place at the top of the kingdom of spirits - it is the spirit of the cocktail.”
Where to Buy
To buy Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin from Amazon.co.uk click here.
To buy Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin from Thedrinkshop.com click here.
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