Food

Wildbrumby gin makes its mark again at International Spirits competition.

Wildbrumby Distillery has been awarded ‘Gold’ for its Rubus Patch gin at the Melbourne International Spirits Competition this week.

This follows on from a similar success with its Classic gin which won ‘Gold’ at last year’s competition. Wildbrumby is best known for bringing schnapps to the Snowy Mountains, but over the past few years, the distillery has been undergoing something of a ‘gin revolution’.

The Rubus Patch gin was developed by Wildbrumby distillers Brad Spalding and Sebastian Drüge last summer, and is blended with organically grown raspberries from the Wildbrumby patch.

It has been carefully balanced with its aromatic pallet of juniper, citrus and botanicals, such as the native mountain pepper berry that grows wild in the Snowy Mountains.

The result is a viscous, well-rounded structure that rolls across both front and back palates, said Wildbrumby’s head distiller, Brad Spalding.

Classic notes of citrus and juniper play host to aromatic raspberry, finished with delicate hints of rose, cardamom and spice.

“This is a complex, finely tuned gin with a crisp and refreshing aftertaste that delivers a delightful twist to the classic G&T and also pairs beautifully with soda,” Spalding said.

In its fourth year, the Melbourne International Spirits Competition is a major international spirits competition with trade-only judges. Close to 200 entries were submitted from more than eight countries around the world.

Stallion Gin Gallops In
In other gin developments, the distillery is putting the finishing touches on its new navy-strength ‘Stallion’ gin. This high-spirited 57% infusion blends juniper and native mountain pepper with a buccaneer’s booty of black tea, ginger and orchard-grown citrus and will be available in coming weeks from the distillery door and online shop.

Celebrating Sculpture

Art has always been central to the spirit and workings of Wildbrumby, and to showcase some of the distillery has published its own & “Sculpture Walk” book.

On sale at the distillery door, the book features the work of the many artists displayed throughout the sculpture garden and still house. A sculpture map will guide visitors on an inspiring journey through Richard Moffatt's Orbs and the polished granite boulders crafted by Austrian sculptor Andreas Buisman, as well as many other artists’ work.

The Wildbrumby Distillery has been named as a leading food and drink innovator in a recently published book Celebrating Australian Food and Agribusiness Innovations. The book showcases 50 stand-out products across the entire Australian food value chain.

Chosen by an expert panel of judges, these were selected on whether they aligned to one of seven global megatrends identified by the CSIRO.

Wildbrumby was chosen for its focus on product experience and the personalisation of its ever-growing range of contemporary Australian spirits.

The Wildbrumby Story

Wildbrumby has been in the spirits business for well over a decade, and was one of the first craft distilleries established in Australia.

Although gin holds a very special place in Snowy Mountains history, wildbrumby’s story actually begins with schnapps – that quintessential tipple from the Alpine region of Europe.

Schnapps distilleries are native to the European Alps, where the winters proved too cold for traditional wine production.

It was in the Austrian region of Kitzbühl that wildbrumby founder and distiller, Brad Spalding, met his future wife, Monika, whose grandfather distilled schnapps on his mountain farm.

Enchanted by this rich distilling heritage, Brad studied the traditional methods and then set out to introduce authentic schnapps to Australia’s Snowy region.

He produces many varieties of schnapps which have proved extremely popular among visitors to the Snowy region, and Spalding has continued to push boundaries with flavour, essence and ‘mouthfeel’.

Sebastian Drüge, a key member of Wildbrumby’s distilling team, adds his own ‘special twists’ in the quest to create award-winning products.