Artisan distillery Manly Spirits Co holds event for World Gin Day

Artisan distillery Manly Spirits Co will celebrate World Gin Day a tour, tastings and cocktails.

Shaken and stirred: Vanessa Wilton pours a gin and tonic. Pictures; Adam Yip.

• Brookvale booms as artisan suburb
• Leisure time for Long Weekend

Gin lovers, raise your ­glasses — it’s World Gin Day.

Boutique distillery Manly Spirits Co will celebrate the occasion with gin cocktails made from its small-batch, premium spirits.

­The distillery has created an Australian gin flavoured with native botanicals as well as botanical vodkas and white dog, a clear whisky that has not been aged.

Co-founder Vanessa Wilton said the newly opened premises had a number of cocktails for the event.

“We will be doing a number of cocktails including a gimlet, which is my favourite,” Ms Wilton said.

“Gin has become very popular, particularly in Britain and America.”

Vanessa Wilton with a French 75, a gin cocktail made with gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. Pictures: Adam Yip.

The artisan distillery has hour-long gin tours, tastings, entertainment and food.

The tour will focus on distillation, production processes and a history of gin.

Ms Wilton and co-founder David Whittaker said initial inspiration for their business venture came from a trip to Tasmania.

“Artisan distilleries are on trend and the idea started with a trip to Tasmania where we did a whisky tasting,” Ms Wilton said.

“Manly represents somewhere relaxed and sophisticated and that’s what we are doing with our products.”

Research and development for the project took the chemical engineer and designer to the US, the UK and back to Tasmania for training at Redlands Estate.

“We have done thorough research a

A classic martini on the bar at Manly Spirits Co. Pictures: Adam Yip.

and everyone has said that we are on trend,” Ms Wilton said.

“The craft distillery scene in the US is massive, we went to the American Craft Distillers Convention as well as distilleries in San Francisco, Portland and New York.”

Former Beefeater and Plymouth Gin distiller Tim Stones also recently joined the team, Mr Whittaker said.

Manly Spirits will barrel-age its single malt whisky for three years and plans to release America-style ­whisky in two years.

However its first batch of spirits will be released in early April with the launch of two gins (one is an ­Australian gin flavoured with native botanicals; the other is a more alcoholic and punchy wild gin), two botanical vodkas and a white dog (a clear whisky that’s not been aged).

Vanessa Wilton, David Whittaker and distiller Tim Stones.

Customers can expect to pay $75 for the boutique gin.

The event for World Gin Day is on at the Brookvale distillery on Saturday, June 10, from 2-5.30pm. Tickets are $22 from Eventbrite. Manly Spirits Co is located at 4A/9-13 Winbourne Rd, Brookvale.