It’s that time! Somehow I didn’t get all the gin joints I had hoped to get to this year, life had other plans, but there were some opportunities to experience a decent cocktail in the wild and in some exotic places. As I said many times, the Martini is more than the sum of its
Hi friends, November is upon us already, and everything feels like it is going a million miles an hour for me, and I think that’s a good thing. Series Update Firstly, thanks for all the watches and likes for my promotional reel I shared with you last month. I also debuted it on the
I’m delighted to share with you the promotional, or sizzle reel, about my series that has been in development for several years. In fact, seven years in the making – starting with the original idea, and I filmed and produced the clip late last year with some of Australia’s best film and post-production team. I
Need an excuse to have a road-trip? Or do you want to taste first-hand the inspiration of the distinct regions around Victoria and meet the makers? Then this list might be handy. I wanted to highlight the amazing distilleries located around beautiful Victoria. Of course, if somehow I’ve missed anyone, please let me know via
It is Grand Final Day for the national game, Aussie Rules, as I write this in Melbourne today. So not being particularly sporty myself, I thought I’d share with you the list of distilleries in and around this fine city. Many offer a tasting room experience, masterclasses, tours and tastings. In some places, there’s usually
Friends, join me at this special event where I’ll be MCing a very special dinner with MasterChef Australia Callum Hann on the Saturday evening, at Pialligo Estate plus I’ll be hosting an exclusive gin masterclass on the Sunday! Here are the details, and you can purchase your tix below via the link. Saturday 4 –
Well, welcome to Spring, or Autumn if you’re reading this North of the Equator! Today, in Canberra we’ve been treated to a dusting of snow and the ranges that surround the city, whilst the first blossoms are also out in bright sunshine. I’m taking it all in with a bittersweet feeling as I’ll be shifting
Hi Friends Time for another update. Firstly, some good news on my streaming project, Masters of Distilling! We’ve had very good conversations with a Sydney-based production company (with an Emmy under their belt no less) and they are very keen to work with me to bring it to life. So now all we need to
One of my many hats has been the owner of Australian Gin Day having been offered its rights by its previous UK-based founder a few years back To be honest, I haven’t had the time or energy to give it the boost it deserves, so the sky is the limit with the right person or
Happy World Martini Day! Some bright spark somewhere decided that June 21 should be a day when we celebrate the most iconic of cocktails, the most elusive in its perfection, and the one so layered with symbolism. Since we’ve gathered so many new subscribers since last year (thank you!) I thought it might be useful
Want to become a master of the Martini just like me? Perhaps you are wanting to hold a get-together with family or friends, or gather your work colleagues to do something fun, and insightful? I’m delighted to introduce a new virtual masterclass experience to you. I have done these over several years from time to
Hi Friends, Yes, it is that time of year again when we celebrate all thing gin around the world. In the past, I’ve hosted special dinners (check out this and this) or been a special guest of distillers at their events (such as here), but this year I’m doing something different. I’ll be streaming live
I’m sneaking this month’s update in VERY late friends. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say life has gotten in the way of late with the business of whispering up fine martinis and savouring excellent craft spirits. That said there has been plenty of things going on behind the scenes including the ongoing
Welcome to this month’s update! In the past while I’ve been focussed mostly on the series pilot and we’ve been able to pitch to several production houses of late and are getting a good response, but we still have a ways to go. It’s been quite the journey so far, and one is learning a
This time around I’m bringing you some tropical vibes from the Queensland city of Townsville. Established as a small family run business in the early 2020’s with the ambition to create sustainably produced spirits inspired by his local region by Aaron Rieniets. With a fresh and easy going vibe, this range is unmistakably from the
Upfront, let me say that when the team at Thirty Six Short from South Australia reached out to me recently to have a look at their new single malts I was delighted. I’ve recently started a new series on my social channels that amplify a difference spirit in a short format a release or two
Australia has a very long history of producing fine brandy harking back to the British Empire days. In fact, some of the local producers are marking 100 years in 2025, so it spurred me to create this list to complement my gin, whisky, vodka, rum and vermouth producer lists in Australia. With our internationally renowned
In January this year I finally was able to visit to the tasting room and distillery of the award winning Starward. They established this purpose built facility in 2017, moving from their first location a few kilometres from downtown Melbourne. I had the opportunity of a private tour, and my thanks to the team for
I’ve been tracking the Aussie vermouth scene for quite a while now (see the list here), and in fact my article on Dry Vermouth is consistently one of the most popular on this website. I noticed one of newest releases last year and have finally been able to pin down it’s founder and maker, Richard
Hi there, well it’s February already, how did that happen!? I’ve been super busy on a few fronts since I was in touch, so here’s the update for this month. New Distillers Added I’ve updated the list of Australian makers, and have added over 10 new gin distillers and more, bring the total to673 gin
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