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
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
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
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
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
Well, after almost exactly seven years ago, when I announced at an Australian Distillers Association conference in Tasmania to a room full of distillers, I’m thrilled to say that we’ve finally have the promo reel finished for my series about craft distilling and cocktail culture in the USA for pitching! We are also finalising a
Well, I finally got the planets to align and I was able to get the crew to a special place to film both the introduction of my series and a pilot segment. I can’t say where yet, but as I write the many Terrabytes of content is being reviewed for a “paper edit” by my
If you wanted to encounter what the face of the new generation of Aussie spirits makers look like, you wouldn’t need to go further than the dynamic couple of Nick and Ally. With their vibrant branding and a fresh take on gins, vodkas and rum, they’ve come a long way since starting up in 2018,
Whenever I travel around, I do try and make time to visit the local distillers and get acquainted with them and their range, and it’s fir to say they’re a friendly bunch. More often than not, they also press on me a sample or two of their spirits, though I’m alway happy to pay! Something
Across the ditch from Australia a new wave of craft gins is emerging. Globally, the gin craze shows no sign of slowing down any time soon, and some estimates put the number of gins in the world at well over 6,000, and growing weekly. In keeping with this global trend, a craft distilling scene has
As you know I’ve been covering the gin beat for quite a few years now and to say I’m fond of gin may be an understatement. I love all types of craft spirits and have presented masterclasses on everything from Amaro to Cognac and Single Malts and more. But the diversity, creativity of expression that
Since my last update, a far bit has gone on, not always welcome. A mix of some personal and professional challenges, such is life. So my planned for review and other content creation plan pretty much went out the window since my adventures in the USA in February. That said, I can see some clear
Well as Tom Cruise said in Top Gun Maverick, “it’s been a minute Mav” when hopping into an old fighter jet. I suppose you may have been wondering what I’ve been doing these past months and been somewhat quiet time on the website. Sorry about that, I’ll explain. I started out with good intentions with
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to say a fond farewell to the somewhat random, and intense year that was 2022. I do hope you feel you are in a better place than when you started, I do, but one had to struggle to get here at times, and so I love
Pretty much each week a new distillery or two pops up around Australia, and I’ve been tracking their evolution for well over a decade now, and keep my list up to date each month, so currently there are something like 543 gin distillers now and they keep coming. I did a poll on my Instagram
If you follow me on my social channels you’ll know that dogs feature large in my life and so when this distillery from Auckland in New Zealand contacted me to receive a sample of their range I was delighted: gin and dogs on one label, what’s not to love? I’ve been fortunate to have a
It’s probably safe to say that one doesn’t got to Italy in one’s mind when you think of gin. Lovely cars, Negronis, aperitivo time, la dolce vita, Stanley Tucci, and all those wonderful things. But Italy has been in the gin business for well over 100 years, and there now a new wave of gin
The Hunter Valley is one of the oldest and prestigious wine districts in Australia, located north of Sydney, and Tempus Two wines are one of the “newish” players having been producing award winning wines for about 24 years cultivating over 21 varieties of grapes. Seeing themselves as unhindered by tradition in terms of style and
There are exciting spirits being crafted on Queensland’s central coast north of Brisbane, from places like Caloundra up to Noosa, and in the beautiful hinterland several new distilleries have emerged recently. For a State that has been renowned for it’s rum forever, there is a new generation of self-taught distillers who are taking their inspiration
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