January 2025 | Mallee Spirit Native Citrus Gin

Ron: “Robin has always loved gin, I was looking in the cellar and counted the bottles (in addition to the number of scented candles) and thought to myself, ‘I’ll buy her a couple of little copper stills to play around with’. Of course, I hadn’t considered the fact that she loves to study and within a week of getting them she had enrolled in a distillation course at Adelaide University. That lit the fire in her, and it also made us aware of the legal responsibilities to do it properly. 

Having developed her first gin ‘Myrtle’, I set about using my skills to not only organise everything operationally but also to send out samples to see if we could get a little traction to help develop the business.”

Robin: “We launched the brand at a ‘Tasting Australia’ event in Lameroo in May 2022. The night was a great success for both the local community and Mallee Spirit. Many guests took home a bottle of gin and a bit of COVID – including myself!”

Ron: “We thought we were a hit when ‘Myrtle’ was the gin of the month at the Howling Owl Gin Bar in Adelaide, but then one of the sample recipients contacted us to say they loved it and wanted to work with us. Well, this blew our mind. Robin was in shock when we started our journey with Garden Street and its membership in 2023. We feel like part of the family, so we’re thrilled to be back.”

Ron: “Nelly was born out of need and the desire to buy Australian, and the passing of Robin’s Aunty Nelly.”

Robin: “We like to say she was a little round in the bottom and always ensured everyone had a good time. She had a laugh like no other and we thought this was a great way to remember her.”

Ron: “We came across Gowit Ladram of Downunder Still in Queensland. He’s an artist who uses stills as his canvas, so we talked on the phone, agreed a spec, and he brought her to life. Nelly has helped us with consistency but also allowed us to develop our gin to be clean and bright, which has always been a focus for us. Like everything we do, we want to be authentic and high quality. We don’t care about being big or commercial, so Nelly fits the bill perfectly.”

Ron: “As soon as Myrtle had been shared with Garden Street, Robin was thinking of what to do next. She wanted to use more Australian grown botanicals, particularly with our terroir being semi-arid rather than sub-tropical or tropical, yet she still wanted to maintain our citrus theme. After trying a few individual items, native juniper (myoporum insular or common boobialla) and desert lime (citrus glauca) came to the fore (although to be fair, I think they were in Robin’s head from the start, and she just needed confirmation). It is subtle and delicate, yet distinct, clean and bright. It goes well with a lot of things but can be easily overpowered.”

Robin: “We also make our Spice Gin, which is totally different again. Cardamom, cinnamon and star anise are the stars of this show. Fresh orange rind reminds you that it is a classic dry gin. In winter at local football games, there’ll be a queue lined up at our tent for an apple mulled gin. Footy in the Mallee will never be the same!

We also make a Strawberry Gin; it’s not as complex as the Myrtle Gin but really allows the strawberry to shine. It has subtle floral notes from lavender infused during distillation. There is a slight sweetness from the fruit, and it looks like strawberries, smells like strawberries and tastes like strawberries with no artificial colours or flavours – it’s all natural!”

Ron: “Finally, our Lemoncello came about after a neighbour gave me a few buckets of lemons. It’s the same base gin as our strawberry with a hint a lavender, then sits on lemons for approximately 3 months. It’s tart and sweet. It’s simply delicious!”

Ron: “The next 12 months are about settling into our cellar door and figuring out what works best, all while keeping with our values. We have done some Christmas shows for local companies and will probably offer the venue for small, low cost, authentic weddings where the purpose and experience outweighs the bling.”

Robin: “We’ve also just welcomed a four week old Hungarian Vizsla named Rudy to the family as our soon-to-be distillery dog. He’s super cute – but he moves so fast it’s hard to snap any good pictures!”