Editor’s Letter by Nick Baxter

It’s a pleasure to welcome you to the TEN YEARS OF GIN Issue, a celebration of all things gin to mark our tenth year. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that I'm even writing that—Archie Rose is almost ten! It has absolutely flown past.

We began producing spirits in December 2014, building on Archie Rose founder Will Edward’s vision of bringing the highest quality whiskies, gins, vodkas, rums and spirits experience from Australia to the world. On the gin side, we started producing our Signature Dry Gin as a contemporary Australian take on a classic dry gin. Ten years later, we’re incredibly proud to see it on shelves and bars around Australia. From our original home in Rosebery, Sydney, to the new Archie Rose Distillery in Botany, our gin-making has continued to push the boundaries of distilling flavours. Throughout this journey, we’ve worked hard on perfecting our individual distillation method for the local and native gin botanicals we ethically source from growers around Australia, along with a cold distillation process that results in a greatly enhanced and distinct clarity of flavour that can be experienced when enjoying our gins.

There have been some truly memorable gins along the way, from our four-part, Japanese-tattoo-inspired Horisumi series and the Sydney Opera House two-act gin collab, to a one-off Smoked Gin and our ongoing Harvest releases—there’s definitely been something for everyone. I’m a firm believer that there's no such thing as someone who doesn’t enjoy gin—you simply might not have found your favourite one yet! And I haven’t even mentioned what’s currently my personal favourite—our Bone Dry Gin.

If you haven’t spotted it already, we’re celebrating our tenth year by gifting a limited edition Tailored Birthday Gin that pays tribute to our community who have supported Archie Rose and our spirit-making over the last ten years. This is a truly delicious blend of our gin lovers’ favourite flavours from over time, with mandarin, green tea and juniper. Speaking of Tailored Spirits, there have been some truly memorable stories told on the personalised labels of these bottles too, from marriage proposals to beautiful poems; even some things that were too rude to print. This month we share some of our favourites.

Also, in this issue, we have a feature on Edith Rewa, the amazing artist behind some of our most popular gin labels, including the Tailored Birthday Gin. Take a walk around the neighbourhood with Edith as she shares her love and knowledge of native Australian flora.

Plenty of words have been written over the last decade about the best gin bars in Australia; we have put together a hit list of some of our absolute favourite places to get a top-notch gin drink (hint: it’s not necessarily a ‘gin bar’). And you know by now that we have curious minds here at Archie Rose and like to Question Everything—find out why we make gin the way we do in conversation with Ev Liong, our talented spirits blender, who leads our gin blending and shares her thoughts on the future of gin.

Finally, there’s plenty of us who love a classic gin cocktail. From a G&T to the Clover Club, Tom Collins or Martini, these drinks have stood the test of time. However, have you heard of the London Calling, the Bramble, or a Gin Basil Smash? These are contemporary classic drinks that we think you’ll love. Tried and tested recipes included.

And with that, a toast to gin in all its forms, cheers!