A new Australian gin is on the horizon after Artemis Gin reached 90 per cent of its Pozible campaign goal within five days.
The team behind Artemis Distilled Australian Gin had set a target of $17,000 for the launch of its classic dry gin that is inspired by history, cocktails and the scientific method.
Created by Dervilla McGowan and Sebastian Reaburn at the Craft & Co in Collingwood, Melbourne, McGowan is a scientist, Reaburn is a bartender turned distiller, Artemis is the first craft gin to be distilled in the City of Melbourne.
According to the team, they bring complementary ways of thinking to crafting their gin and their namesake botanical Artemisia is matched to classic and native Australian botanicals. The spirit is described as a “juniper dominant, dry gin with our namesake botanical Artemisia filling out the middle palate, and native eucalyptus to boost the juniper”.
“There’s plenty of sweet spice with nutmeg and cassia, then savoury notes from grains of paradise and Thai red ginger. The clean finish is juniper and bright citrus from native finger limes and coriander. Artemis is bottled stronger than usual at 44% alcohol to give the juniper a little extra punch.”
The duo distil the gin using a traditional one shot method, all the botanicals macerated then distilled in tiny batches – each batch takes a few days of maceration and two days to distil.
“You can’t rush our gin, the traditional batch method takes time, and every step is done by our hands,” McGowan and Reaburn said in a statement. “Artemisia is also the dominant flavour in vermouth and that makes our gin the perfect drop for a classic Martini or G&T.”
Both McGowan and Reaburn have a long history in the liquor industry, with the former leaving bartending to become a scientist, recently completing her PhD in microbiology. Reaburn has spent his entire working life in the liquor industry, as well as being the house distiller at The Craft & Co, he opened 1806, created the cocktail program at Lui Bar at Vue de Monde, and co-created Heartbreaker. When not behind the bar he helped to launch 42Below and 666 Pure Tasmanian Vodka, and spent time “pretending to be a corporate manager” with Bacardi Martini Australia.
“Artemis gin is not a traditional business, we’re building a sustainable and resilient small business that means we can concentrate on what we love, creating the very best gin possible. Artemis Gin is a place built from slow craft, attention to detail, and the time to explore and experiment with flavour.”
Batch 1 of Artemis Distilled Australian Gin is now available for pre order.