It's a story of shiraz, gin and Canberra district connections.
Big River Distilling Co founder Clyde Morton knew just where to look for grapes when he wanted to make a shiraz gin.
A former viticulturist and winemaker, Mr Morton had in his previous life worked as a consultant to the Wallaroo Estate vineyard, just over the northern border of the ACT.
So he headed there for the shiraz grapes.
"I knew which patch I wanted," he said.
And they were good, picked in early April as part of what is expected to be a bumper vintage for many winemakers in the Canberra district.
"I was very happy with the size. They were beautiful, ripe, cool-climate shiraz grapes," he said.
Mr Morton, who runs the Big River distillery and bar at the Dairy Road precinct in Fyshwick, is now using those grapes for the new shiraz gin, which should be available later this year. When it is ready, Mr Morton suggests, the new gin will go well "on ice with a big slice of lemon".
"True to Big River's inventive ethos, we have experimented with the shiraz gin style by partially fermenting a portion of the fruit," he said.
"After a short fermentation, the shiraz was fortified win a gin base to retain some of the grape sugars. Partial fermentation is carried out to better integrate the shiraz flavours with the gin base."
The gin will be bottled around mid-year.
Mr Morton said he branched out to a shiraz gin because his customers were demanding it.
"The shiraz gin style is now established in Australia," he said.
Mr Morton, who also has a post-doctorate in nuclear physics, said he felt like he had almost come full circle back to making wine with the shiraz gin. Almost.
"What I love about the distillation of gin is the inventiveness. Compared with gin, wine being a self-flavoured beverage, is easy to make," he said, tongue-in-cheek.
"Wine is made in the vineyard - you crush the grapes and ferment the juice. The winemaker then decides what style to produce. Gin is different.
"You start with a blank canvas - ethanol, neutral in flavour - and after the compulsory use of juniper, the distiller must built the spirit's character and distinctive flavour profile through the careful selection of botanicals."
Mr Morton said until the shiraz gin was released, he hoped that Canberrans might try the Big River mandarin gin, which won a gold medal at the 2023 London Spirit Awards.
The Big River Distilling Co - it's name coming from a colonial-era nickname for the Murrumbidgee River, is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6pm.
