North Geelong distillery dubbed one of Victoria’s best

A NORTH Geelong-based gin distillery has been labelled one of the best distilleries in Victoria alongside some of the country’s most notable players in the craft spirits industry.

Anther Spirits was recognised for its “classic approach” and commitment to fresh botanicals and native Australian plants, with reviewers from Australian Traveller Magazine recommending visitors take the time to work their way through the small-batch gin label’s entire range.

Co-founder and chief distiller Dervilla McGowan said Anther Spirits was “thrilled” to be recognised.

“We all work really hard here. We’re a tiny team, and it’s just extraordinary that we were fortunate enough to be listed.”

First established in 2016, the multi-award-winning distillery is known for its experimentation with flavour, aided by its collaboration with native ingredient supplier Spurrell Foraging.

“We’ve got such a vast country with so many vastly different ecosystems,” McGowan said.

“A lot of the beautiful bounty of our country’s been hidden in our historical understanding of Australia.

“Understanding that these botanicals have been used for tens of thousands of years by First Nations people is extraordinary and is something we try to talk about as well at the distillery.”

McGown said the team’s passion for its product, its location within the historic Federal Mills site, and focus on hospitality were among the factors contributing to the distillery’s ongoing success.

“We absolutely love having people through the door.

“We all genuinely love talking to people and telling them about our gin. It’s difficult to not have a good time when you’re giving people gin.

“I don’t know what it is, but gin drinkers are some of the nicest people that you’ll come across.

“They’re genuinely curious and generous and kind.”

McGowan has a PhD in microbiology, motivating a “scientific rigour” to her distillation process and ensuring Anther Spirits maintains a “standard of excellence”.

However, she said the key to creating a great gin was “really loving what you’re doing”.

“You can have a technically perfect gin – and we have some really great gins here – but the ones that are most popular, are the ones that are enjoyable to make, and they have the most heart in them.

“For example, our cherry gin doesn’t do fantastically in competitions, it never has, but it’s one of our biggest sellers through the cellar door and that is so filled with joy, from start to finish.

“Making that gin, we invite people into the cellar door to help pit the cherries that go into the gin, so it starts its journey in a really beautifully communal way.”

Anther Spirits is now working on an expansion that will see the opening of an outdoor area in the summer and playing around with new flavours, with “something more than gin” possibly on the cards.

For more information, head to anther.com.au