Coming soon, a boutique distillery unlike anything else Melbourne has ever seen ...
Looking around for vineyard opportunities, it was the saying, "How do you make a small fortune form winemaking? Start with a large one!" that prompted Sigrid de Castella (BBA) and Antony Anderson (WSET3, WSET4 pending) to explore distilling instead.
Everything But GinTM distillery focuses on small-batch bespoke blends, each bottle limited edition, hand-signed by our Chief Distiller and individually numbered.
Chief Distiller, Antony Anderson (BSc. Chem/Biochem) produces the cleanest, purest spirit possible in Al-Ambiq® copper alembic stills imported directly from Portugal. The components of each spirit are distilled from individually macerated botanicals and herbs before being lovingly blended.
Why Everything But GinTM?
We love Gin, but Melbourne has some of the finest Gin distillers in the world, many of whom are our friends. So instead, as a bespoke distillery, we felt we were best placed to explore a range of other spirits, changing our distillery styles and blends to meet the needs of local spirit lovers.
So What Do We Distill?
We’ll commence operations with five spirits:
Eau de AkvavitTM – Akvavit is a Scandinavian spirit first produced in 15th century Viking times. Usually infused with herbs like caraway, the main difference to Gin is that it doesn’t contain any juniper. Our take on Akvavit will feature the health benefits and flavours of Australian botanicals to be enjoyed as an aperitif, mixer or digestif.
Easy Elite VodkaTM and Easy VodkaTM Infusions – Vodka was first recognised as a medicinal drink brought from Poland to Russia by the merchants of Kievan Rus in the 1550s. Often associated with potatoes, mass-produced Vodka can be a little … well, harsh. Our take on Vodka will be triple distilled with several infusions available including coffee bean, chilli, vanilla bean, and cinnamon.
Spectre VermouthTM – Vermouth is the French pronunciation of the German word “Wermut” which translates as wormwood. Not to be confused with the green fairy, Vermouth was first produced in Germany in the 16th century, soon after establishing itself as a popular drink in Italy and London. Our take on Vermouth will be the classics done well, including extra dry, dry white, red, sweet white and amber.
Eau de Vie – French for “water of life”, Eau de Vie is a double-distilled clear, colourless wine-based fruit brandy found through Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Italy and the Balkans. This historically significant spirit is similar to German Schnapps, Balkan rakia, Romanian țuică, Czech and Slovak pálenka, and Hungarian pálinka. Eau de Vie is where we get to be really creative, exploring blends like Chai Spice, Lavender Fields, Ginger Lily, Lady Grey, Strawberries and Cream, and Raspberry Rush.
XO Brandy - It would be called XO Cognac if it were produced in France! We’ll be bottling a very small quantity of very smooth 8-year old Brandy (Australian) mostly because we can ... and because it’s an essential cocktail ingredient for Sidecars, Brandy Alexanders and Between The Sheets.
You can try our range of spirits at Life's Too ShortTM Back Vintage Wine Bar, either neat, with a mixer, or in one of our exclusive cocktails created by Master Mixologist Kieran Ferris. And if you fall in love with one, you can also purchase a take-home bottle from the bar.
And why not join us at one of our distilling events? Distilling Explored will give you a rare opportunity to learn about distilling, see the stills in action, and custom blend your own bottle of spirit to take home. Ask us for more information.
