With winter showing every sign of settling in, and barely a fortnight of autumn left, now might just be the perfect time to cruise the Kiama Farmers’ Market, and come across the stall for South Coast Distillery, most famous for its Sublime Gin.

In an era when many local beer breweries have gone bust, finally collapsing after the fall in their customer base during the many restrictions during Covid-19 and an unforgiving Taxation Office demanding the payment of postponed alcohol excise, Southern Distillery is a rare success. 

And it has been from the beginning, way back in 2018, recalling to mind the line: “An overnight success years in the making.” 

Sublime Gin was the first product the distillery released, and was an instant success, garnering awards in Australia and internationally. It pulled a gold award at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the Champion Trophy at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards.

The gin and the distillery were the brain childs of founder Luke Hardy, and a group of housemates who had been “mucking around” with recipes for years. 

Luke and his friends wanted to make a gin as good as anything anywhere in the world, and the rest is history. 

Other gins, unique to the South Coast, include Illawarra Plum, Five Islands and the Navy Strength Breakwater Gin, which comes in with an alcohol content of 57.5! 

Nik Kelly, who mans the stall at the Kiama Farmers’ Market, says most people aren’t so much looking for a free sample as coming to buy a bottle. “A lot of locals know us,” he says. “We get a lot of repeat customers, who come every couple of weeks or so. The distillery has been a crowd favourite at Kiama Farmers’ Market, building strong support from both locals and visitors to the area.

“Illawarra Plum is made from a native tree found around the escarpment. It is a thick, sweet gin and perfect to sip. It’s perfect for the colder months.It is a Sloe-style of gin, a fruit style normally made with sloe berries. This is an Australian take on a classic English gin.” 

South Coast Distillery has been attending the Farmers’ Market every week for the past three years. 

“The market was very good for us in the early years, when we were building brand awareness,” Nik says. “And we are still there.”  

“They are very supportive of us and other local suppliers and small producers. It is very community focused. There are a lot of food stores, and many people come down for early dinner on Wednesdays.” 

For the gin fanatics amongst The Bugle’s readers, of which there are no doubt a number, World Gin Day is set for Saturday, 8 June. 

South Coast Distillery are planning a number of events to mark the occasion, read more at: 

https://southcoastdistillery.com/

Kiama Farmers’ Market manager Tricia Ashelford says the hours from now until October would be 2:00 to 5:00 pm every Wednesday. “Rain or shine, the markets continue on,” she says. “Winter is still a great time for the markets. Rug up and get some fresh air while shopping outdoors. And support your local suppliers.”

If conditions are too bad for the market’s normal location at Surf Beach, the Kiama Uniting Church half a block away acts as a wet weather backup.  

On Wednesday 22 May, there will be a Volunteers Expo at the market. Some 24 local volunteer groups will be showcasing their organisations, and anyone with spare time to volunteer is encouraged to attend. 

You can find out more about the Farmers’ Market on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/KiamaFarmersMarket/