Song: David Gray – Babylon

Drink: Negroni…preferably on an empty beach.

What a stunning island. Feeling very familiar at times – everyone was just so nice. After a night out in Hobart we popped down to see Lark Distillery the next morning. Jemima and Ben took us through their Gin offerings – Forty Spotted Gin and their Summer Edition with rose petals. Beautiful couple of Gins and a beautiful little bar – Tassie was doing well so far.

 

 

Little did we know at this point – the day was shaping up to one of the best, and most bizarrely amazing days ever. Jemima instructed we can’t leave on an empty stomach and directed us just a few doors down to The Gold Bar, featuring her friends personal collection of hundreds of gins.  We were also delighted to hear his mum made “the best pies” and these were served here too.

Perfect Pies devoured, we were on the road to our next Distillery, and home for the night at McHenry Distillery – but we passed a sign for Nonesuch Distillery – so HAD to pop in!

 

 

Rex and the team (including a goat) greeted us with a Sloe Gin and Tasmanian Dry Gin while we had a look around. The amazing smells of some fairly new Whiskeys sitting in their barrels was amazing. An impressive little Distillery, and a great team – we set off with a bottle of their Sloe Gin, which I have to say is absolutely outstanding.

 

 

Eventually, after what seems like an endless road – we rolled up to McHenry Distillery.

Tired yet excited, we walked into the Visitors centre to be warmly greeted by Bill, who took us straight to the Distillery while we waiting for The Boss – Bill McHenry, owner of this massive estate and Distillery, to come back and start the evening.

 

 

We had a sip of the spring water from way up on the highest point of the estate, also used in the Gins to bring it to bottle strength. On the way back down, Bill McHenry was there to greet us. We loaded up the truck and set off to the beach.

We were joined by Tom, another member for the McHenry team – who was charged to get the BBQ fire going and knocking up some cocktails. Negronis, sizzling venison steaks  and David Gray booming out of the smartphone/mug speaker – I was well and truly in love with this part of the world.

 

 

The sun had set and the stars were lighting up the beach.  I have never seen the sky so clear and the stars so bright!  After a brief lesson on constellations from Bill Mc – we headed back to “The Bothy”.

The Bothy.  Well…I’m not sure where to start.  After standing on the back of Bill Mc’s pickup truck searching for Wombats and Wallabies  – we unpacked at The Bothy.  A stunning little building consisting of a Kitchen, a Bedroom and…oh…that’s it! Both of the Bill’s got the log burner going to keep us alive overnight and that was that.

The next morning we woke up to this.

 

 

Stunning.  Absolutely unreal.  An early morning care-package had been delivered in the form of coffee, oats and milk which was very welcome.

 

 

After that we made our way down the very high up hill, picked out some botanicals, headed straight to the distillery and got distilling!  I made a rather simple Gin, with your usual botanicals, with a couple of Aussie natives thrown in there.  I also blended some distillates creating a mash-up of all things lovely about Australia – including Quandong, Lemon Myrtle and Pepper Berry.  What a morning!

 

 

Coming away still slightly overwhelmed as to what had gone on in the last 24 hours – it was time to fly back to Melbourne.