La Forgia’s passion for production is evident, especially regarding gin, which remains the lifeblood of the Australian craft distilling scene while producers wait for their aged spirits to mature. (Whisky, like rum, must age at least two years before it can legally be referred to as such on the label.) “Australian gin is at the forefront of global gin in my opinion,” La Forgia tells me. “There are no countries I am aware of that are pushing the category forward as much or as quickly as Australia.” This is especially true in regards to the use of native Australian botanicals, which Aussie producers wield to their advantage. Adelaide Hills Distillery hit the ground running when they released their Green Ant Gin, which features a number of native botanicals including the gins namesake. Green Ants are sustainably collected from the northern Australian bush in collaboration with Something Wild, a native food and game meats supplier part-owned by Daniel Motlop, former Australian Football League star and proud Aboriginal After Sydney, we hopped a quick flight and Torres Strait Islander over to Adelaide. man. The partnership If you’ve not heard of Adelaide, worry not between Adelaide Hills and — I hadn’t either until becoming acquainted Something Wild ensures with the Adelaide distillers, and they were ADELAIDE HILLS DISTILLE RY that native botanicals are not shy about talking up their hometown. being accessed in a way that On more than one occasion I was told that benefits both the Australian Adelaide is the “greatest city in Australia.” distilling culture and the Indigenous communities. Upon first glance, Adelaide is admittedly a wonderful place. Despite any entomological additions, it’s not as though Australian Situated between the beautiful blue waters of the Indian ocean and producers are trying to reinvent the wheel — in fact, most of their the rolling hills of renowned wine regions the Barossa Valley and gins resemble the flavor and texture of a classic London dry — it’s McLaren Vale, Adelaide seemingly has every natural advantage for that they are trying to improve upon the gin market with unique yet a metropolitan city. The Adelaide hills themselves boast beautiful delicious offerings, and succeeding in their goal. wineries making fine products as well as several trailblazing craft “I see a bright future for Australian distilleries as long as we distilleries, including the ADELAIDE HILLS DISTILLERY, founded remain strongly focused on innovation and quality,” says Tim Boast, by Sacha La Forgia.
five and eight year-old Caribbean rums, simply named Gold. Perhaps most interesting of all, especially from the perspective of an American, was that Brix was not only a distillery but a proper bar in its own right, featuring 150 rums from around the world, as well as gins, whiskies, beer, and wine. The fact that Australian distilleries have the freedom to indulge in this business model leaves me with no shortage of covetousness. Another distillery that we were fortunate to visit was MANLY SPIRITS, unsurprisingly located in Manly, a beautiful beach-side suburb in North Sydney. One ferry ride and an hour’s walk later, we had arrived just in time to kick off Sydney Bar Week with a master class hosted by Tim Stones, former MANLY SPIRITS brand ambassador for Beefeater gin and current head distiller for Manly. After traveling the world on Beefeater’s dime, meeting folks and spreading the good word, Stones convinced the people at Beefeater to support him as he received his General Certificate of Distilling from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD). From there, it was a short trip around half the globe to settle at Manly, where he currently produces a number of gins, whiskies, and liqueurs.
ADELAIDE
WWW.ARTISANSPIRITMAG.COM
123