Christina and I have been writing stories about Aussie craft spirits for Nip of Courage every Monday since November 2020, and this post marks our 100th feature! Here’s what we’ve learnt about this amazing industry… so far.
I’m not much of one for arbitrary milestones, but I think hitting 100 of anything deserves a nod of acknowledgement. And besides, everyone loves celebrating their first century, don’t they.
The last couple of years proudly working with Nip of Courage have taught us so much about the industry and the incredible spirits from distillers all over Australia.
Here are some of the highlights of what we’ve enjoyed the most from these past 100 weeks.
Taste Tests
Obviously the toughest part of the gig, we’ve had to drink and review so many different Aussie craft spirits for Nip of Courage. From gins, vodkas and agave spirits to rums, whiskies, new-makes and liqueurs, we’ve had the opportunity to try them all.
It’s really given us an idea of how broad the Aussie craft spirits industry is growing.
And just how much extraordinarily high quality handmade liquor is out there.
Check out our Taste Test section for inspo for your next bottle.
Meeting Distillers
We love meeting and chatting to distillers. They’re such interesting people. We’ve interviewed quite a few over the last couple of years—you can read about them and their distilleries here in our Meet The Distiller section—and every single one of them has a different story to tell.
We were also lucky enough to attend the Australian Distillers’ Association Conference in 2022, where over 420 distillers convened to discuss the industry, network and showcase their creations.
You can see what goes on at such an event here!
We even got to visit the finger lime farm of Lee Etherington from Wild Hibiscus Distillery and learn about the incredible process he created to make his truly unique gins.
History of spirits and distilling
Distilling has a long and—let’s say varied—history, and we’ve covered quite a bit of it. Here are some of our favourite stories:
We’ve also written about the process of distilling from talking to distillers and visiting their fascinating setups.
Supporting IWD
International Women’s Day—on 8th March every year—is a topic close to our heart. We even
share our wedding anniversary with the date. And Nip of Courage’s sister company, Women of Australian Distilling, is such a positive movement for equality in the industry.
Nip of Courage hosts events for IWD each year, bringing female distillers in to speak about their experiences. The lunches at Bloodwood Restaurant and Bar in Newtown are always amazing.
And this year, Nip of Courage even partnered with YCK Laneways for two-day a live masterclass event in Sydney called A Little Bit Shaken, A Little Bit Stirred, which Christina MC’d, featuring several women from the craft distilling industry.
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