North Tumbulgum Husk Distillers’s Ink Gin took out the top spot at Covent Garden’s Hottest 100 Australian and New Zealand Gins of 2018 on Sunday 27 January.
Covent Garden hosted gin-lovers at its Boundary Street bar on Australia Day weekend to vote for their favourite gin of the past year. Stocking more than 200 gins, revelers were spoilt for choice. Spirits flowed from bottles, the music was pumping and excited guests waited in anticipation to see which tasty gin made it to the top spots.
Ink is a unique gin, known best for its iconic lavendar colour. Ink is a premium dry gin made with 13 organic botanicals, including a mix of traditional and Australian natives, mainly juniper berries. The gin offers a fresh piney, spicy and citrusy aroma and flavour, with the flower’s subtle astringency leaves the palate crisp and clean, allowing the citrus and floral notes of the major botanicals a long, refreshing finish.
Yarra Valley’s Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin took out second place, steeping Shiraz grapes in its Rare Dry Gin, with the final product boasting a great depth of colour, rich and vibrant taste. Flavour-wise, it is showing dark fruit, red berry and spice, with plenty of the classic Yarra Shiraz white pepper, alongside ginny characteristics carrying grape aromas making it unmistakenly gin. The palate is sweet, with long juniper and spice characters to finish.
Named in third place was Antipodes Pink Gin distilled in Hunter Valley. Certified organic with a beautiful blush tone, this gin combines kakadu plum, olida, blue chamomile flowers and ruby red grapefruit in a complex selection of native and exotic botanicals.
Covent Garden’s Ginuary will return to the West End bar in 2020.
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