The festival has branched out from ‘just gin’ to include a range of other spirits. Photo: Supplied.
A favourite gin festival is returning to Canberra, but this time they’ve branched out to include more spirits than ever before! Spirits at the Foreshore is the latest festival from Gin Events, and they’ve been running gin festivals around the country since 2018.
Festivals executive and on-site manager for the Canberra event, Kitty Lorimer, told Region that the festival has evolved to keep pace with the changing nature of the spirits industry.
“We’ve always been about championing Australian craft distilleries, and now they’re changing. Where they may have only made gin before, now we’re seeing distilleries also selling vodkas, whisky, rum and different liqueurs,” she said.
“So we decided to expand a few of our festivals to include those spirits, too, which has also broadened the demographic of attendees: it’s still predominantly gin lovers, but there are other spirit lovers, too.”
Spirits at the Foreshore will run over two days (28 and 29 November), with three sessions lasting three hours each.
Three-hour sessions allow for plenty of responsible tasting. Photo: Supplied.
The festival line-up includes an impressive cross-section of Australian distillers from across the country.
Kitty said she was particularly excited to see Ester Spirits, Prohibition Spirits Co. and Kendor Spirits attending after they were awarded prizes at the recent Australian Gin Distillers Association awards.
Ester won best in show for the Old Tom gin, Prohibition picked up best in class for their navy strength gin, and Kendor’s Kakadu Plum Gin won best in class for flavoured gin.
“A new kid on the block who will be attending is Volume Australia. Part of the proceeds from their gin and vodka go to backing funding for mentorships and performance opportunities for Australian musicians and artists,” said Kitty.
“I think it’s great to have not just great products to sell, but a worthwhile cause to support is excellent.”
Several food stalls will be at the festival to keep the stomachs of attendees well-lined. Local Canberra food truck Tacontento will be there with their authentic, crispy taco dorados, and Orange craft cheesemakers Second Mouse Cheese will be offering cheeseboards featuring their handmade, small-batch products. Smoked meats, fresh oysters and other snacks will also be available on the day.
Meet the distillers and learn more about craft spirits. Photo: Supplied.
Two masterclasses will also run on the weekend.
Hugo Vodka will bring a touch of luxury to proceedings with their vodka masterclass, complete with caviar bumps! And Light White Beverages from Victoria will be offering a cocktails masterclass showcasing their own gin, tequila, vodka and whisky products, perfect for levelling up your after-work martini, or learning how to impress with the perfect margarita!
Kitty says that the best part of the festival is getting to chat with the distillers and learning more about what they do. Many of the stallholders attend multiple festivals together each year, so the events are kind of like a family get-together!
“It’s just great to have the opportunity to have interesting conversations with passionate, knowledgeable and crazy characters who really live, breathe and drink their products! It’s a great environment. Even though they are competitors, they all go around swapping bottles at the end of the day because they love learning and trying new things. It’s a wonderful atmosphere.”
Attendees will receive a tasting glass, a tote for stashing any bottle purchases, and unlimited (but responsible!) spirit tastings, with Long Ray’s Australian-made mixers available.
Spirits at the Foreshore will run from Friday, 28 November to Saturday, 29 November at the Old Bus Depot, Kingston Foreshore. Buy tickets and find out more.
