By Stefanie Collins, editor bars&clubs
The much sought after Melbourne Gin Company gin is set to expand its reach in a distribution deal with Cerbaco Distribution.
The agreement will see the ‘Melbourne Dry Gin’ distributed outside of its home state, to New South Wales, Tasmania and the ACT.
The small batch gin is produced by Gembrook Hill winemaker Andrew Marks, at his family’s winery – where he also produces his own wine label, The Wanderer.
On the market since 2013, the gin “doffs its hat” to London Dry Gin – juniper berries and coriander seed as its major botanical component.
There are an additional 11 botanicals in the recipe, including grapefruit peel and rosemary from the garden at Gembrook Hill Vineyard, alongside macadamia, sandalwood, honey lemon myrtle and organic navel orange – all Australian sourced – and the exotic botanicals angelica root, orris root and cassia bark.
Marks makes use of his winemaker training, distilling each botanical separately and then blending them into the final recipe. To further enhance the botanicals, the distillery uses a copper pot bain-marie alembic still – a still traditionally used for making perfume.
In order to create a uniquely ‘Melbourne’ style of gin, the only water used is Gembrook rainwater sourced just 60 kilometres from Melbourne.
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