Adelaide gin series – Prohibition liquor Co.

Two mates & a lot of gin

Back in 2015 mates, Adam Carpenter & Wes Heddles decided they wanted to work together on a project. After running through a few different ideas, Wes floated the idea of making a gin and Adam was instantly on board!

They spent the first few months of 2015 tasting and researching spirits, designing packaging, researching stills and speaking with manufacturers from Australia to Europe to the US, but it was a chance meeting with Brendan Carter from Applewood distillery that really kicked things off for them. 

In no time at all they were working on experimental batches, tweaking & adjusting the botanicals to create a spirit they would be happy to put their name to. Six months later, they had spirit in bottles, boxed and ready and had bagged themselves a space on the back bar of Adelaide’s best cocktail bar – Hains & co.

Great achievements 

Three years later Wes & Adam have achieved a lot. They have three gins in their portfolio with more being added & have recently opened a tasting room in the centre of Adelaide. They’ve won multiple awards in Australia and the world stage and are rapidly increasing their portfolio. A pretty impressive feat considering Adam still runs his branding firm & Wes still works in management. 

The gins 

As I said they currently produce 3 gins

 

Prohibition Gin 42%

Prohibition Gin 42%

This is their original gin & contains the following botanicals:

•  Juniper
• Coriander Seed
• Ginger Root
• Wormwood
• Pink Peppercorns
• Blood Orange
• Ruby Red Grapefruit
• Lemon Myrtle
• Green Tea
• Vanilla
• Lavender 

 

On the nose there are hints of grapefruit & lime but these are quite delicate and allow the scent of Lavender to come through along with a peppery warmth & the aromatic wormwood. Juniper is present on the palate when tasted neat as well as flavours of Blood Orange. These flavours are joined by a refreshing herbal note & a sweetness from the vanilla. The finish is dominated by Lavender & more that lovely sweet vanilla.

When mixed with tonic the juniper becomes a more dominant flavour as well as the ginger & peppercorns. It makes a great G&T that is refreshing with a smooth vanilla finish.

 

Bathtub Cut Gin 69%

Created in honour of bathtub gins that have gone before, this gin uses a slightly different combination of botanicals to create a more richer taste:

• Juniper
  

  Bathtub Cut Gin 69%

• Coriander seed
• Ginger root
• Wormwood
• Orange rind
• Grapefruit
• Orris root
• Cassia bark
• Star anise
• Almonds
• Green tea
• Vanilla
• Lavender

The nose is dominated by the star anise, vanilla and aromatic wormwood. Tasted neat & you are hit by a lovely warmth from the juniper & Star Anise that gives this gin a rich full bodied mouth feel. The finish is warming & full of cinnamon & almond flavours. 

 

Shiraz Barrel Gin 60%

Using a slightly higher percentage base of their standard gin, Prohibition have created a barrel aged that in their own words sets the new standard! 60% Prohibition gin has been aged in custom coopered barrels which formerly held American bourbon but more recently held Barossa Valley Shiraz. The barrels give the gin a lovely red oak hue. Taste wise, the resulting gin is smooth with a gentle Shiraz note and a great backbone of oaked rye. That not to say that the flavours from the base gin are lost, you can still pick out the vanilla and floral notes but it has a lot of punch added in from the barrels.

 

Small Batch 

As well as their three main gins, they also do small batch runs. We had the opportunity of tasting their small batch Negroni while at the tasting room and were blown away by the flavour. In replacing the traditional Campari with applewood red okar and using sweet vermouth, they have created a rich earth take on a classic. It’s less acidic and very easy drink, with the 50 different botanicals between it’s three spirits incredibly well balanced and rounded. 

 

Big thanks goes out to the guys at Prohibition, we spent a great few hours trying their range of gins and being treated to a taste of a few of Adelaide’s other big hitters.  To find out more about Prohibition Liquor Co. you can check out their website here,  or catch up with them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram