That's The Spirit

Small-batch craft spirits have captured the imagination of local producers and drinkers alike, writes Max Allen.

- Max Allen

When Brian and Genise Hollingworth decided to start distilling rum and whisky in 2009 they were taking a huge risk. For a start, their distillery (well, the handful of barrels and small copper still in the shed) was just outside the tiny town of Mendooran, about five hours’ drive from Sydney. There aren’t many fans of craft spirits in this part of the world, and even fewer tourists. In fact, the whole concept of craft spirits was still very new in Australia.

“It was a pretty weird thing to be doing,” says Brian, pouring a taste of his whisky in Black Gate Distillery’s humble cellar door. “There were only a few other craft distillers around, hardly any in NSW. We’d been to see one – Ian Glen at Stone Pine Distillery in Bathurst – and it looked like he was having fun. And he couldn’t keep up with demand. So we thought we’d give it a go.”

The gamble paid off: since the Hollingworths started Australians have developed a seemingly unquenchable thirst for craft spirits, and Black Gate is now regarded as one of the best in a booming field, even featuring at the Noma pop-up in Sydney last year.