Making award-winning gin wasn’t Philip Moore’s first gig. Born with a green thumb and an innate love for nature, Moore founded Australia’s largest wholesale herb nursery, successfully running it for 20 years. After selling the business, he pondered how he could combine his two biggest loves: growing plants and drinking booze. In 2007, he started making gin using botanicals he’d grown – things like coriander, lemon verbena, makrut lime, blood orange and ginger.
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In the first year alone, Moore did 250 trials to get it right. And right he did, with Distillery Botanica becoming the first Aussie distillery to win Herb Liqueur of the Year in Germany, taking home gold medals in London and San Francisco for the Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, and becoming the first Australian distillery to win a gold medal for Moore’s Dry Gin at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London – basically the world’s most important gin and spirits show.
What’s this to you? Well, if you’re partial to a thirst-quenching G&T on a balmy summer’s afternoon (it’s me, hi), Distillery Botanica is open to the public – and a visit to this gin paradise, located on the Central Coast, is well worth your time. Set on three acres of lush, tropical gardens all tended to by Moore himself, the award-winning distillery is like a gin oasis. And as it’s just over an hour’s drive from Sydney, it’s a fun and doable day trip for all the gin lovers out there. Or pack the bags and make a weekend of it (you can check out our guide to the Central Coast here).
Distillery Botanica offers gin-making classes where you can pick botanicals and distil your own bottle to take home. There are also garden tours, cocktail-making classes, paint-and-sip sessions in the garden (fun!), and of course, you can drop in for great gin and snacks.
Moore says it’s easy to make gin, but it’s really, really hard to make great gin. Take it from us – it’s great stuff. Go and try some for yourself – and stop and smell the roses (and lemon verbena) while you’re there.
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