Meet the makers: The faces and stories behind SA’s gin distilleries
SA’s ‘ginaissance’ has created a close-knit community like no other. Meet some of the passionate local makers who are making waves on the global stage.
Food & Wine
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In the suburban streets of Thebarton, in Adelaide’s western suburbs, lies an unassuming strip lined with the juniper berry-packed distilleries of three of SA’s exciting gin producers.
In a sense, West Thebarton Rd stands as an emblem of the nation’s “ginaissance”, which has quickly found its heart among South Australia’s passionate – and award-winning – makers.
With up to 300 gin brands currently active in Australia’s gin market, one in five bottles consumed in Australia is now locally produced – up from one in 70 just a few years ago.
And SA’s flourishing gin scene is only set to grow. Experts in the industry believe the state is uniquely positioned to create some of the best gin in the country.
But if a rising tide lifts all boats, then a rising market lifts all distillers.
The staggering number of new creators has far from bred unhealthy rivalries in the close-knit gin community, with experienced makers sharing their knowledge with those vying to break in.
From ties to celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo’s Orana to celebrations of sustainability and local produce, these are the stories – and passions – behind some of Adelaide’s best gin makers.
Never Never Distilling Co.
56 Field St McLaren Vale SA 5171
Perched on top of Chalk Hill, Never Never’s formidable view of the vast McLaren Vale wine region is befitting of head distiller Tim Boast’s all-in approach to making multi-award winning gin.
Boast and long-time friends George Georgiadis and Sean Baxter all left established careers in 2017 to launch Never Never, then-distilled in a 16 sqm patch behind Big Shed Brewing in Adelaide’s west.
“The three of us stepped into the business full time very early on and didn’t pay ourselves for years, because we wanted it to be a meaningful brand,” Boast said.
“Never Never, to us, means ‘the place beyond the horizon and beneath the stars’ that you need to be fearless and adventurous to go into … and that’s what it felt like when we started.”
That fearlessness translates into the bold, juniper-forward gins that have earned Never Never a string of global accolades.
“Most international and domestic distilleries were getting deep into their local and native ingredients,” Boast said.
“But we really wanted a big, robust gin that was going to make my gin and tonic taste like a gin and tonic with a simple garnish of lemon, because that’s all I usually have at home.”
Earlier this year, Boast was named Master Distiller of the Year at the World Gin Awards – no mean feat for a man who, prior to Never Never’s launch, had spent a decade working in finance.
But gin making was always in Boast’s blood.
His British ancestors, connected through grandmother Nancy, founded Gilbeys Gin in the 1800s, a global juggernaut now made for Diageo by Beam Inc, of Jim Beam fame.
“Whenever I went over to the UK or spent time with my grandmother and gin o’clock came around, inevitably someone would say, ‘we used to make gin’ and there would be stories told,” Boast said.
“When my gran passed away, I realised that the connection to this story was going to end. She was the last remaining Gilbey that I was related to … so to keep that story alive, I decided I should have a go.”
With more than 40-odd staff split between manufacturing, hospitality and exports, Never Never has itself become a formidable name in Australia’s spirits market – with that foothold only expected to grow.
Over the weekend, Never Never launched a beeswax & olive gin in collaboration with Sydney’s Maybe Sammy bar – a delicate homage to the Italian heritage of Maybe Sammy’s co-founder Stefano Catino, made with Kangaroo Island Ligurian honey and olive brine from McLaren Vale neighbours Lloyd Brother’s Olives.
After years of Covid-affected trade, Never Never is also set to host its first event over the July 22 weekend – Oyster Palooza – in a bid to collect local oyster shells for its next batch of hugely popular oyster shell gin.
“We want to introduce people to our gins and our reason for being … hopefully they leave with a really good understanding of why we do what we do and why it’s important – and fun,” Boast said.
Lock 4 Distillery/Salena Estate
837 Bookpurnong Rd, Bookpurnong SA 5333
After more than 20 years establishing itself as one of Australia’s largest wineries, Salena Estate owners Bob and Silvia Franchitto decided to start a new chapter in the Riverland stalwart’s story.
Their daughter and marketing director Salena Franchitto says Lock 4 Distillery, the family-owned winery’s distilling arm, is inspired by their iconic surroundings and a “rules are optional” mentality.
The Franchittos’ Italian heritage shines through their products, with a dry gin designed to be enjoyed in Bob’s favourite cocktail – a vespa martini – and a chilli vodka distilled with chilli from Bob’s own garden.
Their organic gin is also an homage to the Riverland region they call home.
“All of our products are inspired by the Riverland. Whether it be the lillypillys we grow at out the front of the winery or incorporating renowned Riverland citrus, not only in our gin but as a focus of our cello’s,” Salena said.
“We have been advocates of the Riverland region for over 20 years. Our objective is to highlight one of the most diverse and creative regions in South Australia.”
Salena says a ‘Tawny Gin’ is on the cards to come out next, along with a traditional grappa and “something chocolatey” by the end of the year.
Australian Distilling Co
While founder Michael Hickinbotham and master distiller Graham Jones now have 17 products under their distilling belt, it’s their flagship ‘Adelaide Gin’ that remains close to their hearts.
While Hickinbotham is the managing director of South Australia’s largest home builder, Hickinbotham Group, wine and spirit making is his family’s true legacy.
His grandfather, Alan R. Hickinbotham, established one of the world’s first degrees dedicated to winemaking at Roseworthy College in 1936.
Fast forward almost 90 years and Hickinbotham has kept family tradition alive, with Australian Distilling Co becoming one of the biggest names in Australian distilling on the global stage.
Its distillery in Stepney pays homage to Hickinbotham’s grandfather – ‘Hick’ and grandmother – ‘Nel’, where the copper stills bear their names.
“I wanted to create something that would be immediately recognised overseas as quintessentially Australian – and to show the world that there is something special about each of our cities and regions,” Hickinbotham said.
“When I decided to make gin, I was resolved to learn as much as I could about it. It was heartening to find out that some of the world’s best gin is crafted right here in South Australia.”
The botanicals in Australian Distilling Co’s Adelaide Gin include Kangaroo Island lavender, while its Adelaide Vodka is triple distilled from South Australian premium grapes and spring water from the Adelaide Hills.
Hickinbotham credits the company’s more than 180 awards to master distiller Graham Jones, who has taught generations of future winemakers and distillers at the University of Adelaide.
“Graham is a true doyen of the spirits industry and is always looking for a new challenge,” he said.
Imperial Measures
31 W Thebarton Rd, Thebarton SA 5031
Chris Jones and David Danby founded Ounce Gin while working as bartenders at Hindley St venue Apotheca (formerly Apothecary) in 2014, when they noticed the gin market exploding in the UK.
While the duo didn’t have much practical experience in distillation, they spent nine months tinkering with recipes until they were given an opportunity to create a run of their own as one of SA’s first local producers.
“All you need is a still and some money – we didn’t have any of those things … but we were given a generous opportunity to use an existing still,” Jones said.
“We made 80 bottles of it and it turned out better than we expected. We sold those bottles pretty much overnight and fed everything back in to do another run.”
In 2018, after slowly building the brand for two years, the pair purchased their own warehouse in Thebarton and set up Imperial Measures, a homely, fit-for-purpose distillery and venue buoyed by their hospitality background.
Their “Signature” Ounce Gin most recently took home Best In Class and a Gold Medal at the 2020 Australian Gin Awards, while the Ounce Gin Bold took home Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2021.
Jones said the brand’s key to success was integrity and passion for the product.
“We’re pretty meticulous, we have two philosophies – don’t settle for less, and the right thing for the right reasons,” he said.
“We don’t want to make whatever the next sort of fad is, we want to make sure our products are sustainable and something we can continue to make.”
Seppeltsfield Road Distillers
436 Seppeltsfield Rd, Marananga SA 5355
A seventh-generation Barossan, former police officer and professional musician Nicole Durdin was far from home when her husband Jon suggested she get into gin distilling.
In early 2016, after a stint living in the UK, Durdin flew back to the Barossa to sign the contract on a block of land that, a year later, would become Seppeltsfield Road Distillers.
“It started as a throwaway comment. I love gin but didn’t know anything about it, so I sat down with Google and said, ‘What’s in gin?’,” Durdin said.
Durdin honed her craft with the help of some of the industry’s most influential names, including Dr Anne Brock, now-master distiller at London’s Bombay Sapphire, and Four Pillars’ Cameron Mackenzie.
But when it came to her gin, Durdin wanted to reflect the tastes and smells of home.
“It’s important to understand tradition before you step away from it. I wanted my take on a traditional London dry style but using some of the botanicals important to me,” Durdin said.
Seppeltsfield Road’s gins feature grapefruit from a friend’s tree in Lyndoch, lavender from a local farm and pink peppercorns – a Barossa staple that reminds Durdin of her childhood.
“I just wanted to make really good gins. For me, the thing that was important was to educate people about gin,” she said.
“There’s a huge heritage here for distilling … plenty of people know that the Barossa is very much a wine-focused location, but prior to World War II the Barossa made predominantly brandy.
“(Seppeltsfield Road Distillers) gives us a different offering and gives us a chance to put our own little stamp on the history of the Barossa as well.”
Prohibition Liquor Co
22 Gilbert St, Adelaide SA 5000
The brand takes its name from the spirits boom of the Prohibition era in the US, but founders Adam Carpenter and Wes Heddles, alongside head distiller Hugh Lumsden, say their product is meticulously crafted as a celebration of SA.
With an impressive catalogue of multi-award-winning artisan gins, Prohibition had a bittersweet start in Carpenter’s backyard back in 2015.
“Wes was a client of mine and sadly his stepmum passed away … she was a big drinker and we said, ‘oh, we should have a gin in memory of Mary’, and it was in sitting down and having that conversation that we thought, ‘we should make gin’,” Carpenter said.
The duo began working with Brendan Carter, chief distiller at Applewood Distillery in the Adelaide Hills, and distributed the first 14,000 bottles of Prohibition gin from that same backyard.
“We had semi-trailers coming in and out every day,” Carpenter said.
In December 2017, the duo opened the doors at Prohibition’s first dedicated still and tasting room at 22 Gilbert St, in the CBD, and enlisted Lumsden to distil the product in-house.
Two years later, they opened Next Door – a dedicated cocktail bar showcasing almost 200 gins from across the world.
While featuring competitors’ products in their own venue may seem unusual, Heddles says it is a testament to the collaborative nature of the state’s close-knit industry.
“We’re building (the industry) together,” Heddles said.
“The head room is so large … Every time there’s a new distillery there’s a new chance for someone to try an Australian spirit and from there they go, ‘What else is there?’.”
Carpenter, Heddles and Lumsden work in sync as the three arms of Prohibition’s creative process – to create a product that is hand-produced from start to finish and, in their words, “brings joy 30ml at a time”.
“Every bottle is hand labelled and hand packaged … I go to the (Central) Market and pick fruit, Adam tweaks where a twig is sitting on a label,” Lumsden said.
“You pour it for someone and they go, ‘That is the best thing I’ve put in my mouth’, and that’s the point of it.”
Applewood Distillery
24 Victoria St, Gumeracha SA 5233
Described lovingly by Prohibition’s Carpenter and Heddles as a “mad scientist”, Applewood Distillery founder Brendan Carter is considered by many in the industry as a maestro of the craft.
Carter and his wife, Laura Carter, started Applewood from a dirt patch in Lobethal back in 2011, with a focus on the Australian landscape and beauty of its native ingredients.
With the influence of renowned chef Jock Zonfrillo, of Orana fame, Carter set out on a journey to hone Applewood’s story and put the unique flavours of Australia on the world map.
“ (Zonfrillo) would help put us in touch with different growers or Indigenous mobs that had various ingredients we might be interested in … we’d rock up to the restaurant and they’d give us various ingredients to trial distillation with,” Carter said.
After years of crafting, Applewood released its first gin in 2015.
But with a passion for sustainability and native produce, Carter says, back then, his focus was never really on gin at all.
“We started the distillery largely as an answer to an agricultural problem we have in Australia for farmers,” Carter said.
“The contemporary aspect of the native foods industry is so juvenile – you can’t buy saltbush or quandongs in the local supermarket.
“You look at the sheer quantity and volume of produce that can be swallowed up by distilleries and that helps farmers be economically viable and more sustainable and take more risks.
“We’ve got a chance to do something that’s so unique, that’s so our own and has the chance to be everlasting.”
Happenstance Distillery
36 West Thebarton Road, Thebarton SA 5031
Like any moment of happenstance, it was a “happy coincidence” at a dinner party in 2016 that led gin-lovers Mei Lin Ford and Tim Gilchrist to create their Thebarton-based craft spirit.
Inspired by a love of her partner’s Portuguese family sour cherry liqueur, health worker Ford casually mentioned to museum-worker Gilchrist that she was interested in getting into distilling.
“He said, ‘I like gin’ … at first I wasn’t sure if he was serious,” Ford said.
With no previous experience in hospitality, the duo met every week for several years before launching Happenstance in an old Thebarton mechanics workshop – with the help of a 100-litre still sourced from Portugal.
Ford said Happenstance’s ethos was simple: distinctive gins made from everyday ingredients, filled with heart and crafted by hand from start to finish.
The pair is in good company on the Thebarton strip – with Imperial Measures across the road and Ambra Spirits just a few doors down.
They’ll soon be moving to a bigger warehouse in the hopes of opening a distillery door in the next six months.
In the meantime, Ford says Happenstance’s limited-run 2022 sour cherry liqueur, inspired by her partner’s family, is due to drop in coming days.
“It’s such a rewarding thing to do – to make a product that people appreciate and you see them smile,” Ford said.
Ambleside Distillery
Corner Ambleside Road and, Mount Barker Rd, Hahndorf SA 5245
For Matt, Trudy and Steve Dickson, gin making truly does run in the family.
“We are all really passionate about what we do so it can definitely get a little fiery from time to time, but its great to be able to work as a family and we really try to make everyone that works with us, building the Ambleside brand, to also feel like part of the family,” Matt Dickson said.
Housed on the Dickson family property in Hahndorf, Ambleside Distillers was built “from the garden up” after Matt travelled to London in his early 20s.
“Trudy and Steve (Mum and Dad) were then headed over for a holiday, so I suggested the go and visit some of the producers I had been lucky enough to deal with … they were super impressed with how everything worked and the passion everyone who worked there had,” Matt said.
“Once we were all back living in the Adelaide Hills, surrounded by such fantastic food and beverage producers, we started to wonder about starting our own distillery.”
In 2016, with only a handful of distilleries operating in South Australia at the time, the family decided to bite the bullet and begin experimenting with what would become their three core range gins.
Tradition, purpose and passion are the hallmarks of Ambleside’s core products, which are made with vapour-infused distillation and botanicals loaded directly into the still.
“All our gins contain up to over 50 per cent juniper. We love this botanical and it’s what makes gin, gin, so we really want to still have those piney woody notes coming through,” Matt said.
“We hand label and fill every bottle that get shipped across the country. So every bottle of Ambleside Distillers Gin has been handled by one of the family at least 5 times before it’s left the distillery.”
While the old world is Ambleside’s first love, Matt says there are plenty of exciting new products to come – including a mandarin limited release gin coming out mid-August and other brand-new gins in the works for the next six months.
“We’re also putting whisky whenever we can catch a break from gin distilling and are looking to have that ready to release in around two years,” Matt said.
Explore more of SA’s gin distilleries in the list and map below.
Any local favourites we missed? Let us know.
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