Australian gin brand Brookie’s lands in UK

Australia’s Cape Byron Distillery has launched its Brookie’s Gin brand in the UK, which was created in collaboration with former Bruichladdich master distiller Jim McEwan.

Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin is made with ingredients from a local rainforest

Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin and Brookie’s Byron Slow Gin will now be available in the UK through select retailers, including Harrods, Hedonism, Flavourly, Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange.

Located in the Byron Bay region of New South Wales, the distillery is owned by the Brook family.

Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin was the result of a collaboration between McEwan, production director at Hunter Laing & Co’s Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay, and Cape Byron Distillery co-founder Eddie Brook.

The gin contains ingredients sourced from a sub-tropical rainforest that surrounds the distillery. Of the 26 botanicals used for the gin, 18 are native to the Byron Bay region including Byron sunrise finger limes, aniseed myrtle, cinnamon myrtle, macadamia, river mint, and raspberry.

Taking inspiration from the traditional English sloe gin style, Brookie’s Byron Slow Gin (26% abv) is made with rainforest fruit Davidson’s plum. The fruit is steeped in Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin and macerated for more than six months, before being blended with Mount Warning spring water.

Brook describes the gin as having an “exhilarating taste of rose, watermelon contrasted with a distinct sourness of cherry, plum and a medium dry finish”.