Applewood Distillery

This week we finally made the trek to the home of Gin in Gumeracha, and my gosh it was worth the wait.

Between the rolling vineyards and hilly countryside, Applewood Distillery is the jewel in the crown that is Gumeracha. The distillery calls itself home in a 1920’s cold store, the first of its kind in the Adelaide Hills. It was left abandoned for 15 years before the Brendan and Laura took it over and gave it a facelift, but still keeping a lot of the original fixtures and fittings.

As soon as you walk in the door a long tasting bench greets you, housing filtered coffee at one end and a fridge with platter essentials at the other. The wall behind the bar is lined with shelves showing off their wares- think their limited edition and collaboration gins, Harvest and Unico Zelo wines as well as other spirits. Whether you’re a wino, a gin lover or just love to dabble in something different, then you need to get your hands on one of their cocktails or paddles.

The other half and I made the trip especially for the gin (and I was deso, so DEVO), so could only opt for one flight. As we were talked through the gins and what was on offer, it seemed a no brainer to go for the “O-Mighty Gin” and “The All Rounder” flights. As soon as they hit the table we knew we were in for a treat. My other half Trev opted to try their 7 Deadly Gins range of gins- luckily for us the Applewood crew had found some hidden bottles out the back so we got to try (and subsequently) purchase, in my opinion, some of their best gins made so far.

Trev LOVED their ‘Sloth’ gin- a bathtub gin that tasted delicious neat and was full of flavour. An equal favourite was their ‘Greed’- a whiskey type gin that again that was best drunk by itself, and their ‘Wrath’ gin- they got him at Tasmanian grown Wasabi and South Australian chillies.

I had their All Rounder flight, and was treated to their Signature Gin, Okar, Gin of Lust (from the Seven Deadly range), Limoncello and Espressocello. If anyone wants the way to my heart just buy me one of these. Both of us LOVED their Signature Gin and their Okar. Pair the Okar with some bubbles and soda and it’s the perfect aperitif- the ultimate summer drink. The Espressocello was another that came home with us- perfect on the rocks or in a espresso martini.

Applewood is all for paying homage to our land here in Australia, and it’s evident when you see the ingredients that go into their gin. Native botanicals are used heavily in all of their gins, from Finger and Desert Limes, Davidson Plum and Strawberry Gum Leaf, just to name a few.

One last thing that I fell in love with about Applewood is their commitment to sustainable practices and supporting local growers and producers. Nothing goes to waste. Ugly lemons that would have hit the skip get hand peeled and head for their Limoncello. Coffee is also sourced from Fair Trade farmers, with percentages of sales going back into their local community. Even the methanol produced from the gin making gets used to clean the floors- a gin room being technically cleaned with gin, so good!

We loved our visit to Applewood- I can’t wait to head back. Except next time I shotgun not being designated driver so I can make a serious dent in that tasting list.

If you’re visiting on weekends be sure to book a spot online, as they are only licensed for a certain amount of people. They also offer tours of the distillery which is really interesting, so if it gets offered to you definitely take them up on it!

You can find Applewood Distillery at 24 Victoria Street, Gumeracha.

Shout out to Pippa from the distillery- a world of knowledge, very friendly and knows her way around a drink. They say hospitality can make or break a visit, and honestly, she well and truly made it.