The Distillery
The Barossa Valley in South Australia is known by most for being one of the world’s greatest wine regions. Home to over 150 wineries established over more than seven generations, the Barossa’s fertile land consistently produces outstanding vintages of wine. More recently, it has emerged as a haven for those who appreciate other finer things in life too!
A few years ago, a couple of curious winemakers in a barrel shed hatched a plan. They wanted to produce a gin that captured the true spirit (pun intended) of all that the Barossa has to offer and naturally they wanted it to be a gin that they enjoyed drinking too. At this stage no one else in the Barossa was producing gin, so it was quite the challenge to build something from nothing. After months of tweaking and tasting, Neil Bullock and his team produced a recipe that successfully highlighted the incredible flavours of the Barossa wine region. Soon after, on World Gin Day 2016, Barossa Distilling Co. launched their quintessentially Barossa gin: Generations Gin.
Flash forward to today, and the team at Barossa Distilling Co. are not only producing consistently great gin but they have established themselves as a well-respected distillery that puts the Barossa on the map for more than just world-class wine and delicious food. They’ve also settled into their distillery in Nuriootpa (which is in the heart of the Barossa, of course) and have their 200L still running around the clock to keep up with demand. Not surprisingly, the team is looking forward to a brand new 900L still arriving in only a matter of weeks!
In addition to their distillery, Barossa Distilling Co. have also opened an amazing tasting room for guests to enjoy. Interestingly, the tasting room is an old building once used by Penfolds in the 1900s to produce brandy and spirits for fortification. Although renovated a few times over the years, it apparently still looks the same!
The Distillery is a celebration of all things gin, cocktails, and flavour. Here, you can experience structured tastings and tasting flights of their entire range of gin. The incredible bar team spends a huge amount of time and effort developing their cocktail program and they’re very proud of their creations. We can confirm the cocktails are worthy of gracing any bar in the world and that The Distillery should be number one on the list of places to go for anyone visiting the area. To top it all off, they even offer superb Sourdough Woodfire Pizza prepared by their adjoining neighbours, Ember Pizza. Need we say more?
About Generations Gin
Paying homage to the Barossa, the base spirit of Generations Gin is made using high quality grapes from the region. The team has then infused and distilled the grape spirit with a unique assortment of botanicals to create a flavour that captures the soul of the Barossa in every bottle; a savoury blend that highlights the vibrancy of the fruit which is so distinctive to the region.
Generations Gin features just twelve botanicals; it is deliberately minimalist but sophisticated and strong. The gin showcases traditional juniper and citrus flavours, and features other classic botanicals such as coriander, angelica and orris root. Ginger, fennel and almond deliver warmth, structure and a wonderful robust mouth feel. The savoury floral notes are achieved by adding chamomile, cassia and lavender from the local Barossa region, and the vibrant citrus notes can be attributed to their use of exceptional local South Australian Navel Oranges.
Many of the botanicals used are quite popular amongst modern craft gins, but Barossa Distilling Co. has another special botanical up their sleeve: toasted French Oak. Although common in many great wines, the team at Barossa Distilling Co. were the first to use this technique in a gin. The toasted French Oak sits subtly in the background but introduces a wonderful generosity to the gin. Just as it does with great wine, it delivers hints of vanilla and helps to bind the other flavours together. With the benefits of French Oak already so familiar to Barossa wine makers, this seemed like quite a natural step for the team at Barossa Distilling Co. to take.
Other Barossa Products
Luckily for all of us, Barossa Distilling Co. has managed to produce quite a range of cracking gins. Their ever-popular Budburst Gin is a floral and fruity delight that is distilled with juniper, sweet orange, macadamia, and vanilla before being blended with an aromatic Barossa Wine. This delightful pink gin is supposedly best mixed with good times and friends, but it also pairs well with tonic and garnished with strawberry and mint.
Also in the range is Miss Maple, the perfect (and indulgent) harmony of gin and maple. Miss Maple is best enjoyed over ice with orange peel and a cinnamon stick, although apparently also very delectable poured over pancakes! No judgement here, that sounds good to us!
Finally (and perhaps the most fitting gin of their range) is their Barossa Shiraz Gin. They’d be crazy not to produce this, particularly being in the heart of South Australian wine country. The team have just announced their fourth release and we have heard on good authority that it is their best one yet. They source their Shiraz grapes from Burge Vineyard, which is home to wineries such as Rockford, Charles Melton, and Grant Burge, and then macerate them in their Generations Gin for 8 weeks. Then over a few hands-on and very messy days each year, they basket press the deliciousness out of those grapes to produce a gin that is truly the Spirit of the Barossa!
We’ve also heard whispers of a few very exciting upcoming releases from the team at Barossa Distilling Co. They’re about to release their third limited edition Barrel-Aged Gin and it’s possible that there is even a Barrel-Aged Shiraz Gin on the way too. Finally, when the seasons change and flowers begin to blossom, they will release their Australian Garden Gin which is inspired by their very own backyard in the Barossa. Given the name, we are particularly excited about this one and cannot wait to get our hands on a bottle and see what other incredible things the team at Barossa Distilling Co. has in store!
Cheers everyone!
Gin and Tonic Pairing
This month’s gin pairs with a full-flavoured tonic, we have chosen Artisan Classic London Tonic.
- 30ml Generations Gin
- 90ml Artisan Classic London Tonic
- A wedge of fresh / dried orange
Method: Add a heap of ice and serve in a nice big glass. Alternatively try 90ml Capi Dry Tonic, rosemary and sea salt!
Generations Gin and Tonic
Tasting Notes
Gin Type
Modern Australian Gin
Appearance
Clear and Bright
Aroma
Sweet notes of citrus with earthy undertones of juniper and coriander
Palate
Fresh notes of citrus upfront, with juniper and toasted oak providing depth and a warm vanilla spice
Botanicals
Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Orris Root, Ginger, Fennel, Almond, Chamomile, Cassia, Barossa Lavender, South Australian Navel Oranges and Toasted Oak
Finish
Smooth and well-balanced with a lovely robust mouth feel
Cocktail of the Month
The Generations Cosmopolitan
Picture - The Generations Cosmopolitan
- 30mL Generations Gin
- 50mL cranberry juice
- 15mL triple sec
- Squeeze of lime
- Fairy Floss
SAdd all your spirit, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice and ice into your cocktail shaker. Shake for 20 seconds. Add fairy floss into your glass and pour your cocktail over the fairy floss.
