Local Spirit

October 21, 2021

In support of Australia’s growing number of premium independent distillers, Baillie Lodges has committed to serving local-only gin labels at its generously inclusive luxury lodges.

The company’s signature baillies9 gin, crafted by the team at KI Spirits using Kangaroo Island’s local juniper, has been served as the house gin at each of the Australia-based lodges for some years now.

The move to an exclusively Australian gin offering aligns with Baillie Lodges’ support of the local producers at each of its regional properties, promoting environmental sustainability and offering guests a genuine taste of each destination. The proliferation of hyper-local distillers in regional areas using natural flavours and botanicals means the four Australia-based Baillie Lodges bars are spoilt for choice.

At the soon-to-reopen Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rainforest, guests can try out at least three of the region’s top tipples:

Wolf Lane Tropical Gin from their Cairns distillery.
Mt Uncle Botanic Australis Navy Strength Gin from the Atherton Tablelands near Mareeba.
Devils Thumb Rainforest Gin distilled at the nearby coastal port of Port Douglas.

A chilled ‘G&T’ is high on the hit-list at Uluru’s luxury basecamp Longitude 131° with top picks including:

Willing Distillery Desert Lime Gin from Darwin.
Green Ant Gin from the Something Wild distillery, using traditional Indigenous bush tucker green ants hand harvested by the Motlop family of the Larrakia in the Northern Territory.
Argile Pink Native Dry Gin from the Hoochery Distillery across the border in Kununurra in Western Australia.

Sundowners served at Capella Lodge with views to an oceanic horizon at Lord Howe Island are an ideal occasion to sample the island’s own Lord Howe Island Distilling Co. Wild Lemon and Hibiscus gin. Plans are at hand for the company to offer guests distillery tours and tastings.

At The Louise in the Barossa Valley, the most recent addition to the Baillie Lodges collection, there’s no shortage of local gin, but the signature House Gin & Tonic is made on Seppeltsfield Road Distillers House Gin. The distillery is located just 300 metres from the lodge and uses locally grown lavender to give the gin a beautiful floral depth. Talented local chefs make tonic syrups from natural, regional ingredients, and Varci Pink Peppercorn Tonic combined with carbonated rainwater and dried lime from the kitchen garden create the ultimate mixer.

Other top local picks include:

The Matriarch produced at The Eatery’s Durand Distillery is in honour of Baillie Lodges’ long-time friend Maggie Beer, where craft gin making experiences are already a big hit with guests.
Barossa Shiraz Gin from the Barossa Distilling Co is another favourite. Guests can visit the tasting room and cocktail bar in the old Penfolds Distillery in Nuriootpa. As a bonus, the distillery is located right next to a woodfired pizza bar called Ember, so lunch and drinks are sorted!