Antipodes

Antipodes Gin was born when two best mates of 25 years, with a shared love of gin, decided they wanted to produce their own drop. Shane Reid, Adelaide-based commercial photographer and Melbournian, Rory Gration, a long time food industry professional, hatched a plan to produce Australia’s first certified organic and carbon neutral gin.

They first started talking about making a gin together about three years ago, but in 2015 on Australia Day, they finally bit the bullet and registered the business, The Antipodes Gin Company.
Shane and Rory grew up together in Mildura. Now, living in two different cities with busy lives and young families, they wanted to create something they could enjoy together with friends and family. They wanted it to embody flavours that they feel are quintessentially Australian and that reflect their journey as Australians. 

Both men grew up in the country’s citrus belt, Sunraysia, so of course sweet orange peel and lemon oil flavours feature prominently, as well as native lemon myrtle. Shane and Rory are passionate cooks and a longtime staple of both their kitchens – Tasmanian pepper berry – also features. All this sits alongside the essential Juniper berry hit.

“Getting organic certification and being carbon neutral was a mindful decision for us, we wanted our business to have less impact on the environment, to promote sustainability and we also wanted to work alongside like-minded, ethically motivated suppliers. Being Australian Certified Organic means that as a business, we are continually working smarter. Certification has challenged us to think carefully about every practice and process in our business and to make sure that everything we do is beneficial on a number of levels.”

Bombay Sappfire

Bombay Sapphire is the gin that gently led the entire gin category out of its slump. Developed out of Bombay Dry Gin in the 1980s by Michel Roux of Carillon Importers, the driving force behind Absolut Vodka, it’s a sophisticated, premium spirit that has enticed a whole new generation to explore the delights of gin.

It not only tasted different it also looked very different in its stylish blue bottle and striking livery. The name “Sapphire” and the gem that adorns the logo were inspired by the 182-carat “Star of Bombay”” sapphire, discovered in Sri Lanka, and given to silent movie star Mary Pickford by her husband, Douglas Fairbanks Sr.

Even more importantly Bombay Sapphire was the first gin brand in modern times to actually talk about what’s inside the bottle and the flavours derived from specific botanicals. In the 1990s legendary bar guru Dick Bradsell used Bombay Sapphire as the base for a host of innovative gin drinks such as the Bramble inspiring a wave of interest in what had hitherto been seen as an old fashioned spirit. And the rest is history.

Fords

Fords Gin

You’re starting to see more and more of this: call it a bonafide trend if you must. Simon Ford made this gin for mixing. For bartenders. For mixologists. For the way that most people drink their gin.

Simon Ford comes with some rather lofty credentials. Some of the gins he’s recently worked with and on include: Plymouth, Dorothy Parker andPerry’s Tot . In fact, in this gin blogger’s opinion not anywhere near a bad gin between them. Out of this experience, Ford’s Gin arose. London Distilled at Thames Distillers, the bottle and feel is steeped heavily in British Colonial icongraphy. References to India, travel, and empire are all prominently placed— and why not? After all, London Gin was distinctly colored by colonialism. The juxtaposition of Eastern hemisphere botanicals, Western Europe botanicals, and the lore of being consumed by shipmen of the British Navy, to do anything less would be a disservice to the history behind it? No?

But oddly Ford’s gin stands against a trend we’re seeing in gin distilling. While many distilleries are going local, or seeking to create a notion of place, Ford’s Gin uses history and lore to create a sense of place [and tradition]. Instead, “Distilled in London; Botanicals from Everywhere” graces the bottle. The botanicals come from Spain, Haiti, Morocco, China, Italy, and so on.

Four Pillars

Four Pillars

Melbourne's Four Pillars Gin has continued a great week for Australian spirits by snagging a prestigious double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition just six months after its launch.

“We are one for one. This is the first competition we have entered, domestic or abroad. We might retire from entering them now with a perfect record,” Four Pillars co-owner Stuart Gregor quipped after the result was announced.

The award, the equivalent of receiving a scholastic high distinction  

The annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year assessed more than 1400 entries including 92 gins, with only nine gins scoring the double gold award.

The competition judges are yet to release their tasting notes, but Gregor said the distinctive botanicals used and an excellent copper still would certainly have assisted.

“I reckon they really got a handle on the botanicals, particularly the citrusy notes from the whole oranges,” he said. “Also our still, Wilma, is a superb piece of hand-crafted German engineering, so the spirit quality is superb. Good judges can pick that up every time.

“We love proving that with great skill we can make something that sits easily among the world's best. Cam (Mackenzie), our distiller, is a bit of a legend.”

Gregor said the award was an affirmation that he and Mackenzie had taken Four Pillars “in the right direction”.

“It means that we and our modern Australian gin style have been validated by some pretty serious US judges,” he said.

“We have already had great support from the Australian bartenders, the liquor trade and drinkers, who have bought our gin direct, or on (crowd-source funding website) Pozible.

“They can celebrate with us that they showed such discernment before we become just ever-so-remotely famous. It's like they bought the first album when no-one had heard of us.

“It will also help with our plans to export. We have already had some inquiries in the past few months but we think they might hasten over the next little bit. Well, that's the plan, anyway.”

Gregor said the awards to Four Pillars Gin and Sullivan's Cove whisky would continue to open the world's eyes to Australia's craftsman-produced spirits industry.

“We are very, very small industry but we are passionate and as talented as any in the world. We have great natural resources for base spirit, as well as for botanicals for gin especially,” he said.

“We know we can make some of the best wines in the world, why shouldn't we do the same in spirits?”

Gordons

Gordons Gin

Founded by Alexander Gordon in 1769, the Gordon's recipe has remained almost untouched since its creation. Triple-distilled, the gin contains juniper berries, coriander seeds and angelica root to name a few. Enjoy in a classic Gin and Tonic.

Hendrick's

Hendrick’s Gin

Creating a brand identity that stands out from the crowd in the increasingly competitive gin market is a trick that not every product manages to pull off. Not only do Henrick’s do it well, they’ve been doing it since many of today’s gins were mere twinkles in the eye of their distiller. Launched in 1999, Hendrick’s is distilled in batches of 450L using juniper, coriander seeds, angelica, camomile, yarrow, lemon peel, orange peel orris root, elderflower, caraway seeds and cubeb berries as its botanicals. Both a Bennett (pot) still and a Carter Head still are used in the process, the latter being unusual in that the botanicals are suspended so that the spirit vapour passes up through them, rather than the typical maceration of the botanicals in the neutral spirit. Rose and cucumber essence are then added afterwards at blending as these botanicals do not play nicely with the distillation process.

Monkey 47

Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Gin  

This is the Gin that had world famous U.S. wine critic, Robert Parker.

Monkey 47 is definitely on a short list of truly amazing gins. Produced in the Black Forest in Germany from no less than 47 botanicals (mostly from the region). Unusual ingredients include include blackberry leaves, sloes, honeysuckle, pine shoots, cranberries and lingonberries. Following distillation and maceration, the gin is stored for 100 days in earthenware 'casks'.. Beautifully packaged in an old world apothecary bottle. 47% Alc./Vol.

Tanqueray

Tanqueray is a brand of gin produced by Diageo plc and marketed worldwide. Although it originated in England, it is now produced in Scotland. It does not command a sizable market share in its native market, its largest market being North America, where it is the highest selling gin import, followed by southern Europe.[1]

Tanqueray is a London dry gin; it is so called because of its distillation process, as well as originating in Bloomsbury, London. London dry gin is made by means of double distillation of grain. Botanicals are added during the second distillation. The recipe is a closely guarded trade secret, although it is known to contain four botanicals (juniper, coriander, angelica root and liquorice).

Tanqueray No.Ten

Another entry into the super-premium Gin market seeking to re-define the gin experience. Made from 100% grain neutral spirits, Tanqueray No.Ten is the only Gin in the world produced using hand picked, whole-fruit fresh botanicals. Under the watchful eye of Tanquerays master distiller, a small batch distillation imparts an exquisite depth and character helping to develop the 'heart' of the Gin through redistillation. This is a Gin to create the classic Martini. Alternatively drink straight up, chilled with a twist of lemon.

The Botanist

The Botanist is a small-batch, artisanal Islay gin made by Bruichladdich Distillery. It is the only gin made on Islay and is distinctive for its augmentation of the nine classical gin aromatics with a further 22 locally picked wild Islay botanicals. It is these botanicals – and the two local botanists who collect them – that inspire its name.

The Distillation

The Botanist is slow distilled in “Ugly Betty”, a Lomond Still, one of the last in existence. The distillation takes seventeen hours, distilling at 0.2 atmospheres of pressure, four times longer than an average whisky distillation.

The gin is distilled after an overnight maceration of the nine base botanicals - the seed, berry, bark, root and peel categories - in spirit and Islay spring water. This alcohol vapour infusion from the distillation then passes through the botanical basket containing the 22 more delicate Islay aromatic leaves and petals. It is this double infusion that gives the Botanist gin its distinctive flavour, allowing the more delicate aromatic leaves and petals to influence the gin vapour without being destroyed.

The Ingredients[

Two types of Juniper are included, including prostrate juniper (Juniperus communis subspecies) that grows in the exposed sea level habitats of the Rhinns of Islay.

The Islay spring water from which this gin is made comes from Dirty Dottie’s spring on Octomore farm, both for the distillation and the bottling at 46%.

This artisanal dry gin is influenced exclusively by botanicals - no essences, oils or flavourings added.