If anywhere in the city called for a gin distillery, surely it's the Rocks, our colonial ground zero, where quite a lot of the juniper spirit would have been sloshing about in flagons during convict-era Sydney. And who better to be the Commodores of a new gin-venture than local experts Mikey Enright and Julian Train (Barber Shop, the Duke of Clarence). Their third musketeer is distiller Tim Stones (ex-Manly Spirits), and together they are embarking on an ambitious project to open a distillery and bar inside a historic bonds warehouse on George Street.
Hickson House was due to open in late June, but, ya know. Thankfully the team are full steam ahead now with the distillery finally opening its doors on December 7. You can expect a showcase of house-made gins made with local NSW botanicals, plus aperitifs, whiskies and niche spirits. It's going to be a venue for the early adopters and gear-heads, the types of people who love a deep dive over a masterclass, a tasting event and matched food and drink experiences. And luckily, since they're in possession of a vast 180 metres squared floor space (in a city where we have tequila bars crammed into storage cupboards), they have room to do it all.