September 2025 | Streaky Bay Very Little Islands Gin

Every great distillery starts somewhere – and for Streaky Bay, that somewhere is a small tin shed on the edge of the Nullarbor. From this coastal outpost in a small fishing town of South Australia, Rebecca Smith and Tony Bagnell are creating spirits that reflect their wild surroundings, but don’t rely solely on them to create something really special. 

This month’s feature carries the influence of wild saltbush, backyard citrus, and garden-grown kaffir lime – a modern Australian gin with a confident nod to the place it calls home.

ABOUT THE DISTILLERY

Rebecca Smith and Tony Bagnell didn’t plan on becoming distillers. Their story begins in 2022, shaped by personal loss and a new creative spark. After the passing of her younger sister to Motor Neurone Disease, Rebecca sought an escape and found it in an unexpected place. “I went for a week-long drive… and found myself in a distillery. Learning the process gave me something to focus on,” she explains. Tony didn’t hesitate to join her: “When I told [him] that I’d found a distilling course he was equally as keen, so we enrolled at Adelaide University together.”

What started as a welcome distraction soon turned into a shared passion. With Cyrel – their 300-litre copper still, named in tribute to Rebecca’s sister, whose nickname was Cyrel – they set about building Streaky Bay’s first distillery from scratch. Tony, a commercial diver by trade, built the distillery inside their shed. Rebecca, a former Registered Nurse and Midwife, works alongside Tony to experiment with the flavours of home, and designs the distillery’s label artwork using her own lino prints. Of course, none of it would be quite the same without Red Wilson, distillery dog and “Head of Moral Support,” who keeps spirits high on long distilling days.

This part of South Australia is uniquely defined by its meeting of extremes: the vast, arid sweep of the Nullarbor Plain and the rugged, windswept coastline of the Southern Ocean. The environment here is harsh yet beautiful, where hardy native flora like saltbush and wild herbs thrive in tough conditions. For Rebecca and Tony, these resilient botanicals offer a reflection of the landscape itself, bringing subtle earthy, herbal notes to their gin. Coming from what Rebecca describes as “the driest state in the driest continent on earth,” they also recycle all of their cooling condenser water and rely entirely on collected rainwater in their distilling processes. 

This environment shapes not only what grows, but how flavours develop: slower-growing, more concentrated, and deeply tied to the rhythms of the seasons. There’s a strong sense of place that underpins everything Rebecca and Tony do – a connection to their community, their landscape, and the people who share it. They respectfully acknowledge the Wirangu people as Traditional Custodians of the land on which they live and distil, and honour the stories and care that have shaped this coastline for tens of thousands of years.

“We swap gin for backyard citrus, wild coastal herbs, and mulberries from a neighbour’s tree. Every bottle is a reflection of our people, our place, and our values,” Rebecca says. It’s a philosophy that extends far beyond ingredients – built on the idea that crafting great spirits should tread lightly on the environment. “We try to have an environmentally little footprint while producing some big spirited spirits.”

ABOUT THE GIN

At the heart of their range and our feature this month is Streaky Bay’s Very Little Islands Gin, a bright, citrus-forward and elegant spirit. Made with kaffir lime leaves picked from Rebecca and Tony’s own garden, wild saltbush foraged from nearby dunes, and fresh local citrus, it’s a bright, citrus-forward gin layered with subtle native flavours – crisp yet distinctly coastal.

“This gin is inspired by the resilient flora that thrives in the arid climate of Streaky Bay. It features a restrained, herby citrus aroma, gentle salt flavours with earthy undertones, leading to a smooth, lightly spiced, warm body, and a dry, long finish,” Rebecca explains.

The current release, distilled over winter, captures peak-season citrus and kaffir lime leaves at their sweetest, giving the gin a bright, aromatic lift. While every batch shows subtle seasonal variation, this winter release is considered one of the brightest and most vibrant expressions of their gin to date. Soft mineral layers from the saltbush and a hint of warmth from Tasmanian pepperberry complete the profile, creating a gin that’s both approachable and layered. It’s crafted in genuinely small batches, where every botanical earns its place and seasonal variation is embraced as part of the character.

While the gin carries a subtle nod to its coastal environment, it never leans too heavily on those flavours. Instead, it balances familiar citrus and juniper with a gentle twist of native botanicals – perfect for spring sipping as the days begin to warm.

While we found plenty of great combinations to showcase this gin, our favourite is Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic with a slice of dehydrated grapefruit. Soft, floral elderflower complements without overpowering the gin’s citrus brightness, bringing a light sweetness that accentuates the gentle kaffir lime and orange zest. Meanwhile, the tart, aromatic edge of ruby grapefruit highlights the gin’s subtle herbal character and long, dry finish. Together, it’s a G&T that feels both refreshing and delicately complex – a perfect match for the gin’s clean, understated style.

THE REST OF THE RANGE

While Very Little Islands Gin takes the spotlight here at Garden Street, Smooth Pool Gin is another standout for savoury gin lovers. This gin leans into the ocean’s influence more overtly. Infused with abalone shell, it carries a forward taste of sea spray, balanced by sweet citrus and peppery minerality. A warming finish reveals subtle notes of native coastal flora – a true nod to the Southern Ocean swells that inspired it.

Beyond these key gins, Streaky Bay Distillers also produce seasonal and small-batch releases. Their Sister Gin is a particularly meaningful creation, celebrating sisters in every form – from those born to us, to chosen sisters, to the remarkable women in healthcare. Infused with mandarin, mulberry, lemongrass and ginger, this pink gin embodies the complexity and beauty of those bonds. For every bottle sold, $5 is donated to MND SA in honour of Rebecca’s sister.

Their Back Beach Gin captures a more grounded, earthy character. Featuring local Quandong (Wild Peach), wattleseed, and coastal rosemary picked from the dunes, this small-batch gin offers a smooth, nutty palate with a subtle salty note from its wild surroundings. 

“Each gin we make tells a story of where we live and what’s growing around us,” Rebecca says.

Finally, there’s the Yanerbie Bombie Vodka. Wild, untamed and crystal-clear, it’s crafted from pristine rainwater swept in from the Southern Ocean. Pure and clean, it’s designed to be enjoyed neat or with a simple, quality mixer.

At local shows and community events, visitors might catch Rebecca and Tony pouring these special releases from their converted horse float bar – as close as we’ll get to a tasting room for the time being. They regularly take it to local shows and their nearby caravan park, serving sundowner drinks and local snacks to visitors. There’s definitely not space for visitors in the tiny shed where the magic happens, but we’re delighted to see them out and about with their horse float. While they have plans to explore barrel-aged spirits in time, for now their focus remains firmly on crafting their range – each one telling a small but meaningful story of place.

There’s a quiet kind of magic in discovering a distillery like Streaky Bay – one that embodies its landscape without needing to shout about it. Every bottle they craft tells a story: of family, of community, and of a windswept coastline at the edge of the world. From their Very Little Islands Gin to seasonal releases that reflect the changing rhythms of their environment, Rebecca and Tony are proving that small-batch spirits can carry big character.

As spring unfolds, we can’t think of a better way to toast the new season than with a G&T that captures the essence of their home. Bright, balanced, and quietly distinctive – just like the distillery itself. Cheers to that!