By Luke Voogt
Hamlyn Heights gin-maker Bob Connor has won international gold in a distillery quest that began with him and a muso mate mucking around in a shed.
“It’s probably the smallest distillery in Tasmania,” the former PE and computer systems teacher said.
“We’ve got no room to expand and we really don’t want to. We just want to stay small and focus on quality.”
After playing together in cover bands since the ’70s Bob and Neil Gray began making whiskey in north-west Tasmania in 2015.
In 2018 they began making gin from the distillery, which they had named in honour of Neil’s late dad Sandy Gray, a Scottish expat and doctor.
“There’s nothing mysterious about distilling,” Bob said.
“If you follow the process and know what you’re trying to achieve its actually quite simple.”
They created 17 prototype gins before entering their latest blend in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition to be blind-tasted by 49 industry experts.
“I call it chaos theory; you change one thing a little it changes the whole balance of the gin,” Bob said.
Last month the pair discovered their gin, with “a bold juniper, pepperberry and lime-steeped taste”, was one of 61 entries, out of about 400, to win a gold medal ranking.
“We reckon we’ve got an advantage because we’re pretty good cooks and we spend a lot of time in the kitchen – so we’re good with flavours,” Bob said.
Their gin ranked higher than entries from well-known brands like Gordons and Hendricks.
“We were up against the all the multinationals,” Bob said.
Neil had just texted Bob wondering when the competition would get back to them when he received a nondescript email with the result.
“I looked down the bottom and said, ‘oh s**t we’ve won a gold.’ I couldn’t believe it!” he said.
“Today San Francisco, tomorrow the world.”
The pair spent about $1200 on entry fees, an import agent and getting waivers for US customs plus another $300 to display the medal on their product.
“Getting alcohol into America is not easy,” Bob explained.
“But it’s sort of advertising money well spent.”
As for Sandy, Bob reckons he would have been chuffed with the win.
“He liked a drop,” he said.
“His wife Moira’s still alive – she’s in her 90s and living in Tasmania. She’s quite amused by the whole thing.”
