Antipodes Gin Co Chardonnay Barrel Aged Gin
- 3.5/5
- $40 (200ml)
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There’s been a groundswell of new entrants to the wine/gin hybrid space following the remarkable success of Four Pillars’ Bloody Shiraz Gin. McLaren Vale’s Never Never Distilling Co has the grenache gin, Ginache; Mornington Peninsula-based Bass & Flinders has a pinot noir expression, Heartbreak Gin; and Reed & Co Distilling in Bright, Victoria, used smoke-tainted gewurztraminer grapes in its new spirit dubbed Gin & Juice. Personally, I’m all for it. Rather than aping London Dry Gin, our distillers should be making spirits with a sense of place, that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.
Australia is a wine nation first and foremost, so our grapes and barrels are ripe for exploration. Canberra’s Antipodes Gin Co has entered the arena with a Chardonnay Barrel Aged expression, featuring its Pink Gin rested for five months in ex-Lark Hill chardonnay French oak barriques.
The oak maturation has softened the heat and bitterness of the spirit, rounding out the palate with a creamy, toasty barrel character that complements the underlying botanicals; an aromatic mix headlined by Tasmanian pepperberry. Golden in appearance, it’s a delicious sipping gin that underlines the versatility of this emerging category of Aussie gins. Enjoy it on the rocks as a digestif.
James Atkinson is creator of the Drinks Adventures podcast and a previous editor of Australian Brews News and drinks industry publication TheShout. A Certified Cicerone® and 2017 winner of the Australian International Beer Awards media prize, James regularly contributes to publications including Halliday, Good Food, QantasLink Spirit and more. Check out Australia’s leading drinks podcast Drinks Adventures.
