Garagiste’s Barney Flanders and Cam Marshall need little introduction to our audience. Core to this duo’s wine philosophy is a sense of place, so it’s no surprise that their first foray into craft spirits was inspired by the coastal produce indigenous to their home turf on the Mornington Peninsula.

Balcombe Coastal Gin is fashioned using 15 botanicals; from the locally sourced samphire and saltbush—to impart the all-important coastal experience—to the essential oil-rich orange peel, rosemary and fennel seeds. The guys then use Java long pepper, blood orange, lemon verbena, then two types of coriander and ginger for complexity. Of course, there is plenty of soft juniper character to balance all those powerful coastal flavours, providing the drinker with a Gin that is both delicately poised and highly evocative of the Peninsula. This ‘winemaker’s gin’ is left deliberately cloudy as the distillers do not fine or filter the spirit, leading to extra texture and interest in the bottle.

For their second release, Mabel, the team set out to craft a minimalist and versatile Gin that comes alive no matter what you throw at it. With the assistance of Brogan Carr, the pair have created what we believe to be a damn near-perfect premium first-pour Gin—classically dry, with a pared-back botanical bill. As such, Barney and Cam have taken a slightly retro route, bringing us a delicious Gin that doesn’t come with any hard and fast rules. Drink it with whatever you want, whenever you want and wherever you want.