Having recently become obsessed with Instant Hotel on Netflix, I am desperate to visit all the gorgeous houses in Australia. The vibe and weather looks insanely good, so when I got the chance to meet one of the distillers from Brookies in Byron Bay, I could not say no.
It would be the first gin I would try from Australia and boy, was I excited. We met distiller Eddie Brook, who’s parents bought an old dairy farm in Byron some 30 years ago and spent a considerable amount of time bringing it back to its rainforest roots. They replanted over 4000 macadamia trees, amongst other fruits and flowers, and visit local makers markets to sell goods made from their treasured macadamia trees.
Having grown up in such a unique environment, Eddie saw an opportunity to use the local produce as botanicals and contacted Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich distillery to see how they could work together.
The rest, as they say, is history. Brookies was born and now has 3 different spirits – their dry gin, slow gin and Mac liqueur. We’ll start with the gin as it is a little bit special. It is made using 26 botanicals, with 18 of those botanicals being native to Byron Bay’s rainforest, think finger limes, aniseed myrtle, native raspberries (which are smaller than ours but bursting with flavour) and the humble macadamia nut.
Eddie smuggled (legally, of course) some botanicals for us to try and they are unlike anything I have put in my mouth before. It’s so interesting to try exactly what is used to create the spirit you are about to try. The gin is smooth, which was a surprise considering the amount of botanicals that are used to make it. There is a citrus hit on the nose with a rich oiliness on the palate before a fresh yet floral finish. The interesting flavours mean it makes a cracking G&T and its perfect serve is with a chunk of pink grapefruit. It enhances the oily freshness of the gin so well.
Next up was the slow gin and, yes, they mean to spell it that way. It is made in a similar way to our sloe gins, but with tart and sour Davidson plums, grown in their rainforest of course. They are steeped in the gin for 6 months with a touch of sugar to balance it out and then bottled for our pleasure, and what a pleasure it is. The finished product is lightly sweet but overwhelmingly fruity, without the syrupy taste that sloe gins can have. When served with soda water and a tonic water ‘top’, it is transformed into a fresh cocktail that is just perfect for the warmer weather we have been experiencing.
The chef at Allotment kept our tummies lined with some delicious canapés whilst the cocktails made with Brookies gin kept on coming. The best was left for last…
Mac is a macadamia and wattleseed liqueur made using those beautiful nuts sourced from their rainforest and the product that the family have been using for years to create edible products. The nuts are roasted before being added to the spirit, which creates a rich liqueur that is seriously moreish. To the point that I had to ask for a top up more than once, it is truly delicious served neat over ice. I can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle.
You can buy Brookies online at Whiskey Exchange or Master of Malt.
You can keep up to date with Allotment’s event on their Facebook page. Trying gin is a fun experience but there is nothing quite like learning about that spirit from the distiller themselves, so I would highly recommend attending on their next events. I’ll see you at the bar.
I was invited to this event as a guest and was not asked to pay.
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