The Distillery
Three bartenders walk into a bar. The first one said ‘I know how to make good booze’, the second one said ‘I know how to make cracking cocktails’ and the third one said ‘I know how to bring business’. After enjoying a few beverages together and admiring the craft behind them, they had a lightbulb moment. They thought to themselves ‘why can’t we do this?!’ Several weeks later, a glass laboratory still arrived on their doorstep and the Threefold Distilling journey began.
The story of Aidan Shaw, Luke Fleming and Steven Roennfeldt goes back well over 10 years. Each of them are well-respected bartenders in their own right with extensive experience working across the South Australian hospitality scene. Aidan – the one who knows how to make great booze – has managed some of the most premier venues across South Australia, and is well-versed in the art of distilling tequila from his time spent in Mexico. This transferable skillset has been most useful and has naturally rendered Aidan the Lead Distiller at Threefold. Luke, the cocktail afficionado, has led bar teams across the globe. His discernible palate and true dedication to balance and perfection has made for a very impressive resume; Luke’s most recent endeavour saw him open and manage award-winning Paloma Bar & Pantry in Adelaide. Steve, the ‘father figure’ and businessman, has vast experience in marketing and growing businesses in the liquor industry. He has launched a well-regarded online barware store, as well as a mobile bar service aptly named Steve the Bartender. If that sounds familiar to you, you’re probably not wrong; he now has over 600,000 YouTube followers and produces video content educating bartenders around the world.
After working alongside one another in various venues throughout their career, Aidan, Luke and Steve became mates and bonded over a love of a good drink and a respect for high quality spirits. After floating the idea of making their own gin, they spent the next 12 months experimenting, deliberating and hotly debating recipes. They each brought unique ideas to the table to create their very first release, Aromatic Gin. It’s a delicious and versatile gin that is perfect for any occasion, and it is a creation that the Threefold team is immensely proud of. In the background Aidan, Luke and Steve were busy pondering a name for their new business venture. As one of the most important aspects of their brand, it was surprisingly difficult to come up something that accurately defined who they are. In the end they settled on Threefold; it represents their own individual perspectives and experiences combining to create spirits that are expressions of the team as a collective. The rationale behind their branding and label also ties in nicely: “Two is better than one. Three is better than two. Threefold Distillery is partnership of three professional bartenders, who equally (≡) create a range of delicious spirits equal to, or greater than (≥), the sum of its parts.”
As you’d expect, things have changed a little for the Threefold team since that little glass still arrived on their doorstep a few years ago. They’re now proud owners of a locally manufactured 200L copper pot hybrid still and they have been sharing a small space in a collaborative urban cellar with two local winemakers in Adelaide for the past 2 years. They have very recently outgrown that space and are now extraordinarily excited to announce the opening of their brand-new distillery, cellar door and bar located near the beach in Glenelg, just 15 minutes outside of the Adelaide CBD. With decades of cocktail shaking and outstanding hospitality experience under their belts, we have no doubt that Aidan, Luke and Steve have something very special in store for visitors (think summer afternoons spent enjoying premium cocktails, delicious nibbles, dedicated masterclasses and self-guided tastings).
About the Gins
When pondering their first release, the Threefold team knew the most important factor was to produce a gin that went well with tonic. It was very much a reverse engineering process; they thought of occasions when people love to drink G&Ts and worked backwards from there. To ensure their first gin was relatable without being overly complex, the team incorporated 11 botanicals but highlighted three key flavours; grapefruit, rosemary and lavender. After over 16 distillations and trials, the resulting Aromatic gin is a summery and well-balanced gin that is - of course - excellent in a gin and tonic.
Unsurprisingly, Threefold Distilling received great feedback about their approach and it cemented the concepts behind their second release; a gin inspired by food. Aidan, Luke and Steve love Mediterranean cuisine so it seemed fitting for them to create a Mediterranean Gin. They started with one of the most iconic Mediterranean staples, the humble olive, and then built the recipe from there. Botanicals such as thyme, rosemary, basil and bay leaves create a herbaceous aroma, whilst capers and green olives add a salty, savoury quality and a luscious mouthfeel. Fittingly, the gin also pairs wonderfully alongside pizza, pasta, fresh seafood or a mezze plate. Although the gin is smooth, the process to get there wasn’t always smooth! During the development phase of their Mediterranean Gin in 2020 they were excited to find there were no other distilleries producing olive gins in Australia; they knew they were onto something big. Although disappointing to be beaten to the punch in the end by Four Pillars and Never Never, Threefold’s Mediterranean Gin is completely unique and a fantastic expression of their own style.
Other Threefold Products
Aside from the two incredible gins that you’re receiving in your Garden Street box this month, the Threefold team have also released their own take on the classic Italian liqueur, limoncello. They have put their own spin on it by distilling a native gin and macerating local citrus to create a herbaceous and uniquely ‘Australian Lemoncello’. Sign us up for a tipple or two!
Earlier this year Threefold also launched their first vintage release GSM. If you’re wondering why a distillery is releasing wine, you weren’t alone! Naturally in this case though, GSM actually stands for Gin, Shiraz & Mourvèdre; it’s a delightful concoction of fruit from South Australia’s famous wine regions and their Aromatic Gin. If you’re lucky you might find a few remaining bottles of the 2021 vintage, otherwise keep an eye out for the limited 2022 GSM release over the coming few months.
We are loving everything that Threefold is producing and are very excited to hear that they’ll be launching the first of their Harvest Series Gins very soon! Tipped to be a series of seasonal limited release gins produced in collaboration with local producers, we can’t wait to taste what is next in store for us from the incredible Threefold team.
Cheers everyone!
Aromatic Gin and Tonic Pairing
The Aromatic gin pairs with a full-flavoured tonic, we have chosen CAPI Dry with dehydrated grapefruit to maximise the punchy citrus.
- 30ml Aromatic Gin
- 90ml CAPI Dry Tonic
- A wedge of dehydrated grapefruit
Method: Add a heap of ice and serve in a nice big glass.
Aromatic Gin and Tonic
Tasting Notes
Gin Type
Aromatic Gin
Appearance
Clear and Bright
Aroma
A citrusy bouquet of grapefruit and lemon, rosemary and juniper, followed by subtle notes of pink peppercorns, pepperberry and lavender
Palate
Native wattleseed makes for a rich, viscous mouthfeel – a balance of zesty lemon and grapefruit supported by juniper, coriander and rosemary adding herbal complexity.
Botanicals
Grapefruit, rosemary, lavender, juniper, coriander, angelica, wattleseed, orange, lemon, pink pepper and native pepperberry
Finish
A tingle of spiciness followed by grapefruit zest and a hint of rosemary
Mediterranean Gin
- 30mL Mediterranean Gin
- 90mL Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic
- A wheel of dehydrated lemon
Fill your glass with ice, add gin, lemon, top with tonic and enjoy!
