You recognize I’m a giant fan of Darling Distillery gin. Their authentic gin launched in 2021 and made it straight onto my record of High Australian gins for 2021. They went again to again with their Espresso gin which featured on the 2022 record.
COVID delayed my go to to the distillery, however I just lately managed to get throughout city to go to this little North facet gem.
Pals Ben Evans, Sean Waddingham and Karlos Gudic used the pandemic lockdowns as as a chance to work on their concept of opening a gin distillery. The three have completely different backgrounds, however their mixed abilities have positively put the gin model on the map.
Karlos and his household are the long-time house owners of the Royal Resort in Clifton Hill and he has an extended profession in hospitality. Sean is the advertising guru (he has a level in Model Administration, Advertising and marketing and Design) whereas Ben is a Meals Technologist who he based St David Dairy in Fitzroy (later bought to Maggie Beer).
Darling Distillery gins
The gin is known as after Darling Park, a stones throw from the distillery and the recipe is based on elements native to the distillery – together with rooftop honey and foraged rosemary. In case you are a fan of citrus ahead gins, you’ll love this. Orange and mandarin and myrtle are distilled with pepperberry and lemon grass to create a zesty tipple. Inexperienced tea provides an fascinating herbaceous word that forestalls the citrus dominating.Ben got here up with the thought of including butter for texture and mouthfeel, and weirdly it really works!
Espresso gin
The staff macerate cacao, roasted hazelnuts and wattleseed in gin for per week. The ensuing spirit is then blended with native cold-brew espresso (no espresso essences right here) and a few dates for sweetness. At 38% that is no espresso gin liqueur. It’s wealthy and easy and goes fantastically in a Negroni.
Extra gins are within the pipeline so control this model as I believe it has the potential to be one thing very particular.
The place to seek out them:
Darling Distillery, 41 Spensley St, Clifton Hill VIC 3068
Open:
The final Friday of each month from 3-8pm
Each gins can be found by way of The Ginporium – Click on right here for Espresso gin. Click on right here for the Unique Darling gin.
You may observe Darling Distillery on Fb and Instagram