April's Gin | Farmer's Wife

About The Distillery

The Farmer’s Wife Distillery is located less than an hour from Newcastle, on the outskirts of the village of Allworth. It is here, surrounded by beautiful, sun-drenched countryside that head distiller Kylie Sepos decided to take the leap in to the world of distilling.

After almost 20 years in the corporate arena, Kylie decided to take her science background and apply it to the art of distilling. The inspiration for the venture came from visiting craft distilleries and artisan makers markets while on a trip to Tasmania. During this trip Kylie made up her mind that it was time she pursued her own passion. Gin distilling had so many elements that Kylie enjoyed; it was scientific, unique, creative - it is also a drink that she loves. It was the obvious choice.

The next step was educating herself on all she needed to know, both a distilling and a federation university course helped cement her biochemstry, distillation and fermentation knowledge. This combined with endless reading and research gave her the foundations to make great gin. The recipe was tinkered with for over two and a half years, botanicals were imported from around the world as well as collected from the Australian back garden. A pinch of this and a dash of that created a great base for the Autumn Dry Gin.

The one botanical that was played with the most is the signature botanical - the Australian Stingless Bee sugar bag honey. It is in short supply and high demand so with it comes a certain price. The deliberation of its inclusion was extensive, but it provides such a unique note to the gin and such a soft end to the taste; that in the end it was a must have inclusion in the delicious recipe. There are now even a few hives at the distillery that boost supply for the gin and provide a wholesome farm to table nature to the farm.

The distillery also took the decision to build their own custom made copper stills using Peter Bailey of Hobart in Tasmania. The waiting list for stills is about 18 months, but was necessary to provide exactly what was needed to meet the requirements and space of the distillery.

The distillation room is currently on the farm in Allworth, with a pop-up cellar door as well as a beautiful barn /bar that can be hired for special events. The rest of the property is a fully working farm, concentrating on eggs and dairy, operated by (you probably guessed this already) Kylie’s husband, Gavin.

In the future Kylie plans to relocate the distillery to its own location on a farm nearby. Here there is a modern style barn which can host a fully functional cellar door, cafe and a botanical garden. This would add in a couple of Kylie’s other passions, food and gardening. The plans sound idyllic and it is high up on our places to visit once it is up and running! In the mean time we look forward to catching their roaming horse-box / gin bar at events around town!

About The Gin

 The Autumn Dry Gin is one of the most distinctive gins we have in our collection, from its aroma to its finish it has its own uniqueness. Its sweet, softness allows it to be easily drunk neat or over ice. As well as combined in to a delicious gin and tonic when combined with a light, fresh tonic such as Strangelove Light. 

The botanicals in The Farmers Wife Autumn Dry Gin range from the traditional to Australian native, all combining together for a honey citrus effect. The levels of juniper, cardomom, pepper berry and licorice root provide a very subtle spice. These lead in to the citrusy notes from grapefruit peels and kafir lime leaves. The overwhelming tone of the gin is finely balanced by the honey which helps to bind it all together and provide a silky smoothness and balance that is hard to beat.

We are excited about the future of this upcoming distillery. They have the facilities and ambition to be a main player on the gin stage. The plan for the future is not only to move to their new site but also to extend their range of gins and even produce seasonal releases, which we couldn’t be more happy about! The team are also considering a branch in to whisky, which whilst it may be a long wait we feel it will be well worth it! 

The Farmer's Wife Gin pairs well with a light tonic, its sweetness throughout the botanicals work well with a slightly drier tonic without so much of a fruity / sweet flavour.

 

- 30ml Farmer's Wife Gin

- 90ml Strangelove Light

 

Add a slice of fresh or dehydrated lemon over plenty of ice! For added variation try mixing with a big sprig of rosemary.

Farmer's Wife Gin and Tonic

Gin Type

Autumn Dry

Appearance

Clear and Bright

Aroma

 Juniper, citrus and grapefruit

Palate

Juniper followed by spice from the pepper berry and cardamom, well balanced

Botanicals

Juniper, sugar bag honey, lemon myrtle, keffir lime, cardomom, pink grapefruit, pepper berry, angelica, licorice and orris roots, anise myrtle, coriander and native sage

Finish

Long sweet sugar bag honey finish

Cocktail of the Month

Gin-Gin Mule

Picture - Gin-Gin Mule

 

- 45ml Autumn Dry Gin
- 120ml Spicy Ginger Beer
- 1tssp lime juice
- 5ml syrup
- Bunch of fresh mint leaves

 

Add the mint, lime and syrup to a cocktail maker and pummel together. Add the gin and fill with ice, shake and strain over ice. Fill the glass with cold spicy ginger beer.