If you like supporting small brands and uncovering little known gems then the Indie Spirits Tasting is tailor-made for you. Direct from the Margaret River in WA is the gin brand that is growing in popularity nationwide – West Winds Gin. Kiki Ward, Shipmate and brand ambassador, gave us some insight into the brand.
Indie Spirits Tasting
The Indie Spirits Tasting for Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney.
“When I described the path I took each month to collect the fresh botanicals the branding became obvious. I would travel through Nowhere Else, cross the Dasher River and arrive in Paradise to harvest fresh botanicals for Meadow Gin,” says Dasher + Fisher gin Master Distiller George Burgess.
“Having owned and managed pubs and bars I knew I needed to produce a vodka that was accessible for venues to use everyday. This was what I wanted with my venues and no one was making it,” says White Light Vodka Founder, Brendon Mitchell.
“Speaking in terms of Agave, there are a little over 140 distilleries producing 1300+ brands, with only 9 of those dedicated to single brand production, yet we clearly have not seen that many make their way here,” says Alex McDowell of de Vino Mezcal.
Two guys from New Zealand who didn’t know each other until one married the others sister and then they did. A year sitting in bars and lounges discussing how they always wanted to make their own gin. This is how two brothers-in-law and a part time musician got in to a lot of debt and created a Rogue Society Gin that won gold in London & San Francisco.
Tequila Tromba is a classic story of starting a spirit brand. Nick Reid, a young lad from Melbourne, fell in love with Tequila on a trip there in 2005. Years passed and his passion grew. He recruited his school mate James Sherry, Canadian Eric Brass and by 2010 they were seriously discussing starting their own brand. So what did they need? Credibility in the form of a Mexican Master Distiller. He came in the form of Marco Cedano
Amari are bitter-sweet Italian digestifs and while they are not to everyone’s liking, there are a few bar industry folks that are obsessed with these flavoursome, old-school gems. We asked Jackson Thornton, Amaro Montenegro’s Australian brand ambassador some questions about his brand and the craft spirits industry in general.
“Even though they have pisco in Chile, the pisco in Peru was completely different. My passion for pisco developed as I started to learn more about the history, production subtle nuances in taste and flavour. Upon returning to Australia thought I would take a piece of Peru back with me – so I created The Pisco People and began importing Peruvian pisco,” Josie Healy, Founder of The Pisco People
“I was going through a phase of trying to prepare ingredients for the bar that are better than anything available commercially. I attempted vermouth, it was ok, but not as good as commercially available products, Vernon [Chalker] suggested I should meet his French winemaker friend Gilles Lapalus, which I did.” Shaun Byrne tells of the genesis of his brand, Maidenii vermouth.
Indie Spirits Tasting Brisbane is back for its second year at Lefty’s Oldtime Music Hall. The event, which is also staged in both Sydney and Perth, will feature over 25 exhibitors showcasing more than 100 craft spirits, with master distillers on hand to chat and free seminars going deep into the world of indie spirits.
More than 100 independent spirits bottlings from 26 suppliers greeted hundreds of Perth’s most passionate…
Crafted on Java, the original home of Indonesian rum, the heart of Nusa Caña is a rich Indonesian sugar cane spirit.