Local distillery catches international drink market’s eye with colour change gin

FLOWER power is turning a Tumbulgum home distillery into the toast of international bartenders.

Scientist Paul Messenger from Husk Distillery on the Tweed River has released Ink Gin. Images supplied for Gold Coast Bulletin's Taste

FLOWER power is turning a Tumbulgum home distillery into the toast of international bartenders.

Scientist Paul Messenger from Husk Distillery on the Tweed River has only just released his bright blue botanical, hypercolour gin, but he’s quickly running out of Ink. Ink Gin that is.

The new drop took three years to develop and has an internationally patented technology.

When neat, Ink Gin’s pH sensitive butterfly pea flowers, sourced from India, make the infusion deep blue. Add tonic water though, and it changes to pink. Kept under wraps during development, Ink Gin’s release is causing its own chain reaction among the hippest bars and restaurants.

Husk Distillery’s Ink gin.

“We’ve had an absolutely amazing reception,” says Paul’s daughter Harriet, who runs the marketing for the family business.

“We’ve just been blown away. We’re in 35 venues so far and the list keeps growing.

“We sold out of our first batch in three days and we saved the second batch to take to Melbourne and it just went like wildfire as well.

“We have been keeping up the distilling to make sure we could meet demand but we really did not expect people to embrace it so quickly.

“I think it’s just that it not only looks sexy but it has a really distinctive, clean flavour as well.”

Paul Messenger from Husk Distillery.

Harriet says Ink Gin has the traditional flavours of juniper berries, with locally grown lemon myrtle, Tasmanian pepper berries and fresh organic Valencia oranges.

She says the botanicals give it an astringency that leaves drinkers with a fresh palate.

“When my dad came across the butterfly pea flower he saw how it was used in teas and thought it was a great idea for a spirit,” she says.

“We were thinking about vodka originally but gin just made such sense because it works so well with the botanical flavours and also mixing it with tonic makes it change colour so we knew straight away we had a signature drink.

Scientist Paul Messenger from Husk Distillery on the Tweed River has released Ink Gin. Images supplied for Gold Coast Bulletin's Taste

“Having said that, it did take Dad a long time to come up with the recipe. It was about three years to make sure all the other botanicals were in harmony with the butterfly pea flower.

“But he got there in the end.”

It’s not the only Husk Distillery product causing bar-buzz, with the family set to release a premium Agricole rum later this year.

The ‘paddock to bottle’ spirit is double distilled for extra flavour and was inspired by a 2009 trip to the Caribbean.

“We grow the sugar cane ourselves on the family farm to make the rum,” says Harriet. “It’s all organic.

“The rum was actually our first product, but it takes longer to get it just right so we’re almost ready to release it.

“We’re so excited, it’s like a new baby for our family.

“My dad became really interested in making rum from cane juice, as opposed to molasses, when we were on holidays in the Caribbean. Six years later we’ve got our own.”

Harriet, 22, says she’s on the verge of leaving her marketing ‘day job’ to join the family business full time.

As well as her distiller dad, her mother Mandy and sister Edwina also work together as part of Husk.

“I have another younger sister Claudia but she’s still in school, but I’m sure she’ll be working here in no time,” says Harriet.

“It’s been a great experience working together on this.

“We don’t just distil the alcohol, we grow, cut and crush the cane, we ferment and barrel it, design the bottles, we organised collateral …

“It’s really a labour of love.

“We’re really looking forward to Christmas-time this year actually … for the first time we’ll have our gin and rum out on the market and we’ll be seeing what all of our hard work was for.

“We’ll definitely have plenty to cheers about — and with. Not to mention our gift-giving is sorted. Spirits for everyone.”