The trophy for the Navy Strength Man O’ War gin is an especially meaningful one for Navy veteran Gavin. Photo: Gavin Gillan.
The recent Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards yielded plenty of excellent results for the region, but there was one distillery that had more than most to celebrate.
Hold Fast Distillery in Braidwood came away with a slew of medals and, best of all, a trophy for their Man O’ War Navy Strength Gin.
For owner and head distiller Gavin Gillan, the award is especially meaningful.
“I actually started making this recipe when I was still in the Navy. From all the other distilleries making this gin, I was the only serviceperson who had a meaningful connection to the heritage of it,” he told Region.
“And it comes down to the tradition of it. Back in the day there was no way to measure the strength of alcohol, so the sailors would measure one part of their gin ration and one part of gunpowder, and if it still ignited they knew it was strong enough. If it didn’t light, it meant someone had been watering down their rations!”
Gavin Gillan of Hold Fast Distillery and his wife Nina at the recent Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards. Photo: Supplied.
The Man O’ War Gin contains juniper (as all gins must), different types of pepper from Africa and Asia, as well as orris root and home-grown yuzu citrus.
“Those botanicals bond very well with ethanol molecules, which allows you to taste the flavour of the botanicals rather than just the heat of the alcohol,” Gavin explained.
Hold Fast Distillery has been entering spirits into the Melbourne Royal for seven years and has taken home around 50 medals. So what made the difference this year to bag the trophy?
“That perfection of craftsmanship, and getting the analysis of the judges every year. We’re always refining little things. Also the good provenance of the botanicals we’ve been able to source this year.
“I think the best thing is you get validation for your product.”
Participants in the Monthly Muster Veterans Distilling Days take home a bottle of their own gin and connect with other veterans. Photo: Gavin Gillan.
Gavin’s Navy background is reflected not only in his award-winning spirits but also in his Monthly Muster event, which invites veterans and their families for a day of camaraderie, craftsmanship and the art of spirit-making.
“It’s about people coming out to connect with no barrier. It’s a time to talk and reflect, with a sensory experience, and they get to craft a bottle of gin and take it home,” he said.
“And people make connections: we’ve had guys come in and realise they live just 20ks from each other, so they go and help out with fencing. We’ve also started to go camping, which we do once a month,” he said.
The result of these monthly musters is the Veteran’s Gin and the Veteran’s Vodka, two bottles which join the line-up of Hold Fast spirits. The participants helped to develop the recipe, which includes lemon myrtle and rosemary botanicals. Five dollars from the sale of each bottle is donated to the National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare.
Hold Fast also has a range called Illuminated Independence. Twenty dollars from the sale of this gin and vodka goes to Project Independence, which supports people with intellectual disability to live with greater independence and security.
In addition to the gold for their Man O’ War gin and the trophy for best Navy Gin, they were runners-up for Champion Australian Gin. They won silver medals for their Sloe Gin and Bottled Negroni.
Find out more about Hold Fast Distillery on their website, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
