Originally appeared in Craft Gin Club for February 2021 Gin of the
Month.
The Barossa Valley in South Australia is a place of dazzling natural beauty,
with lush vineyards and rolling hills sloping down into a cluster of
picturesque villages. For seven generations that Edenic spot has been the home
of Nicole Durdin’s family, who have worked the land to produce the fine wines
that made Barossa Valley famous the world over.
This is the story of how, along with her husband Jon Durdin, Nicole created a
gin distillery and our February 2021 Gin of the Month on the most iconic road of
the Barossa: Seppeltsfield Road, known locally as the Avenue of Hopes and
Dreams. Thousands of lovers of fine food and drink have made the pilgrimage to
the Barossa. Less than an hour away from the laidback metropolis of Adelaide,
this area is a haven for foodies and a world-renowned wine region. If you were
to find yourself there today, you would be greeted by a rich tapestry of old
vineyards, silver church spires and gently waving palms.
The Barossa Valley has this really beautiful mix of the traditions of the
German immigrants, who maintained their food and drink culture, and
modern-day food and wine-making. That means we have it all. What better
place to live?
— Jon Durdin, Co-founder of Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers
Winding its way through the valley’s rolling hills is Seppeltsfield Road, a
place famous for its heritage and hospitality. Affectionately known as the
Avenue of Hopes and Dreams and with thousands of palm trees standing alongside
it, it showcases the very best of the Barossa’s artisans. Nestled amongst the
road’s award-winning wineries and restaurants is
Seppeltsfield Road Distillery.
The very definition of relaxed elegance, with sleek modern architecture, red
cedar panelling and an open-air amphitheatre for tastings, it’s here that you’ll
find Jon and Nicole hard at work, crafting their delicious range of gins. The
award-winning Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers House Gin our members can find in
their February 2021
Gin of the Month box is the prized jewel of the collection –
a floral yet citrusy spirit that captures the essence of the Barossa.
Unlikely Beginnings
If you had told Jon and Nicole when they first met, – as teens playing for an
Australian brass band – that one day they would be partners in gin and in life,
they would have scoffed. But fate finds a way, and in 2008, by which time they
had both pursued careers – Nicole in the police and music and Jon in business –
they began to see one another in a new light.
We were both at similar points in our lives. We were taking the opportunity
to travel and find ourselves, and when we got back to Australia we saw each
other with new eyes.
— Nicole Durdin, Co-founder of Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers
When Jon’s career took him to Winchester in the UK shortly after their wedding,
Nicole went with him. But once there, Jon found himself chained to a desk for
gruellingly long workdays and Nicole missed her friends and family back in the
Barossa. By 2015 Nicole was ready for a new challenge and even considered
studying law or psychology. But nothing quite stirred her passions. One evening
over G&Ts, Jon — who knew her best, and had often remarked on her amazing
palate – suggested that she try her hand at making gin. It was an electrifying
moment for them both, and after that there was no return.
I don’t even know if I was 100% serious when I first proposed the idea, but
from that point on I spent every spare minute looking at the feasibility of
moving to the Barossa and building a gin distillery.
— Jon Durdin
As they sped towards an uncertain future, they both felt in their bones they
were on the verge of something big. They knew one thing for sure: they were in
this together, and between Nicole’s intuitive knowledge of flavour and Jon’s
business acumen and determination, there was no stopping them.
The Distillery of their Dreams
Jon and Nicole didn’t know exactly where their journey with
gin would take them,
but there was never any doubt where their distillery would be. The Barossa
Valley, with its gorgeous vistas and rich botanical diversity, was summoning
them home. Nicole’s family had been an integral part of the Barossa’s fine wine
industry for generations, and the two of them were passionate about carrying
that legacy of excellence forward with their gins. While Nicole took a course
with the Institute of
Distilling and Brewing, they reached out to an old friend
in the real estate business in the Barossa. They began looking for the perfect
spot on Seppeltsfield Road. Nicole and Jon would be surrounded by some of the
most prestigious wineries and restaurants on the continent, so they knew that
their distillery had to capture the spirit of hospitality at the heart of
Barossan culture. The initial flash of inspiration came one evening while
drinking G&Ts in front of the telly.
We watched far too many episodes of Grand Designs when we were in the UK,
but one episode really stood out. It was about this Irish architect who
built a house out of shipping containers and it turned out to be absolutely
stunning.
— Jon Durdin
For Jon and Nicole, using shipping containers to build their distillery made
complete sense. With the rustic yet modern aesthetic of shipping container
architecture, they could construct a bright, beautiful world all their own.
Working closely with Jon’s father and brother, they created a welcoming warm
space dedicated to distilling, where gin lovers could gather and enjoy tastings.
At the very heart of the space, visible from wherever guests are in the
distillery, a glimmering still imported from Germany sits in a steel and glass
still house. Christine, as she is lovingly known, is named after Nicole’s
grandmother and they both share an elegant, hardworking and determined character
along with their German heritage and love of a drink. This is where you’ll find
Nicole working her magic with botanical blends today. All around her, their team
of 20 gin experts and the distillery dog keep guests company through tastings
and gin cocktails.
Hopes Made Real
When it came to the distilling process itself, Nicole and Jon attacked the
project with their usual vim and vigour, determined to do justice to the beauty
of the Barossa. Developing one good gin is a herculean task in and of itself, so
needless to say their decision to create three at once was rather an ambitious
one.
We wanted to create three gins at once because people who come to the
Barossa are used to tastings that offer more than one wine, whether it’s
multiple vintages or several varieties. I wanted to have options for people
to try when they visited our distillery, just like they’d have at the best
wineries in the valley.
— Nicole Durdin
Jon and Nicole started out by investing in a small two-litre still. Nicole then
selected 70 different botanicals that intrigued her and set about distilling
them each individually. She eliminated those that didn’t appeal to her palate
and profiled the flavours of the rest. From there, she put together 20 basic
concepts, and they picked their top three. These now form the basis of the
Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers’ core range. All three of their signature gins
feature local botanicals, but each has its own twist. First, there’s
Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers Barossa Dry Gin.
I really believe that you shouldn’t break the rules until you understand
them, so this is my take on a traditional London Dry.
— Nicole Durdin
Once Nicole had paid homage to tradition, she moved onto something more
experimental:
Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers Savoury Allsorts. This
juniper-forward,
herbaceous gin — deeply refreshing in the hot months of summer
— would go on to become a firm favourite of Australia’s top mixologists. But
their ultimate passion project was the beautiful bottle that we sent to our
members in their February 2021 Gin of the Month box:
Seppeltsfield Rd DistillersHouse Gin. This gin was designed to capture the hearts of even the most
sceptical Barossan. For Nicole and Jon, their
House Gin was a chance to bring a
taste of the
modern craft gin boom home and prove that it could thrive alongside
cherished traditions.
We were inspired to make our House Gin because when we first told people we
were building a distillery, a lot of them were quick to say, ‘Well, I don’t
like gin.’ And I said, ‘Alright, leave it with me. I’ll make a gin that will
win you over.’
— Nicole Durdin
And that’s exactly what Nicole went on to do. Her goal was to create something
alluring and easy to drink. Starting with a grape spirit base, she went on to
build a gin out of the most approachable, enticing botanicals of the Barossa and
afar, from locally grown lavender to blue cornflower. The result was a liquid
that would become their most awarded spirit, winning gold at the 2019 and 2020
World Gin Masters, the 2019 London Spirits Competition and the 2018 Melbourne
International Spirits Competition. But for Jon and Nicole, what makes
Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers House Gin really special is its universality. This
is a gin that everyone – from Barossan winemakers reluctant to try gin to the
most cosmopolitan visitors – falls deeply in love with.
It’s incredibly versatile, so whether someone has a taste for light and
refreshing G&Ts or deep and complex Negronis, this gin is going to work
beautifully.
— Nicole Durdin
This Valentine’s Day you’ll find Nicole and Jon enjoying it in a cocktail or two
at their distillery, as the balmy breeze of Australian summer blows through the
Barossa Valley.
That’s what makes it great for Valentine’s Day – it’s a gin that’s meant to
be shared.
— Nicole Durdin
The bottle
The bottle our February 2021 Gin of the Month comes in isn’t just beautiful –
it’s also specially designed to reflect the liquid inside! Every step of the
design process involves people from the Barossa, from the artist to the graphic
designer. In fact, it’s adapted from a piece by an artist called Janelle Amos
whom Nicole has known since nursery. Janelle’s original artwork is made from
plants she foraged in the Barossa Valley, reflecting the fact that using local
botanicals is something close to Nicole and Jon’s hearts. The design features a
mandala – a circular symbol representing self-unity and completeness.
There is something complete and balanced about a mandala – and these are
qualities we always wanted our gins to have.
— Nicole Durdin
As well as featuring botanicals from the gin, including juniper, pink
peppercorns and coriander seeds, the mandala depicts grapevine leaves – that’s
because they use a grape spirit as a base in distillation. Nicole was determined
to present the spirit she had distilled in a bottle created by women –
especially because women are underrepresented in the gin industry.
It made complete sense for a female distiller, female artist and female
graphic designer to create our branding.
— Nicole Durdin
