Page 42 - Food&Drink magazine April-May 2023

BEVERAGE PRODUCTION
Gin
of the
Never
Never
Five years ago, three friends decided to start making gin when there were only 10 local brands in the market. Kim Berry talks to the founders of Never Never Distilling Co on how they are keeping ahead of the pack.
NEVER Never Distilling Co was founded in 2017 by long-time friends George Georgiadis, Tim Boast, and Sean Baxter. Since then, competition has been fierce with the explosion of small independent distilleries all jostling for space on the shelf and consumer loyalty.
Georgiadis is managing director, Boast is director of Distilling and Operations, and Baxter is brand director.
Georgiadis says winning World’s Best Classic Gin at the 2019 World Gin Awards helps in terms of brand awareness and reputation. At the 2022 awards, Never Never was awarded World’s Best London Dry.
“It’s helped us maintain our
position as Australia’s most highly awarded gin brand. We really pack our gins full of botanical oils. More flavour makes better gin and better gin makes better drinks, so that’s our mantra. We’ve always pushed the boundaries,” he says.
And while Never Never was receiving accolades for its gin, so too was its master distiller and co-founder, Tim Boast, who was crowned World’s Best Distiller at the same awards last year.
The team says innovation is at their core, along with embracing opportunities to collaborate with others to develop one-of-a-kind gins.
Boast says inspiration can come from many sources, but when collaborating with other creative partners, their ideas provide the springboard to develop something “exciting and delicious”.
Never Never partnered with Society Restaurant in Melbourne to create the Oyster Shell Gin, which Boast says was built for a savoury martini, with Kangaroo Island oyster shell paired with waxflower, saltbush, and round mint.
The distillery’s collaboration with Four Seasons Hong Kong
resulted in its Argo Gin. Working with a tea consultant, Boast developed a gin matured in vermouth-seasoned ex- chardonnay barrels with aromatic Shou Mai, Oolong and Fu Ding teas.
Co-founder and brand director Sean Baxter says the goal is always to deliver an exceptional drinking experience and that the team find the best way of doing that is having a purpose for the variety front of mind.
“Our Dark Series Releases are really the engine room for all new product development at Never Never Distilling and while there certainly is a significant amount of ‘throwing the proverbial at a wall to see what sticks’, there are still some well-worn combinations that will continue to deliver flavour in exciting ways,” Baxter says.
Boast adds, “We also take a lot of inspiration from the kitchen, flavours that work well together in different dishes will often translate wonderfully in a gin or bottled cocktail. Our Panettone Negroni is a massive hit because the flavour aligns with a well-known Italian sweet treat and inspires through that nostalgic connection.”
42 | Food&Drink business | April/May 2023 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au