If you know anything about Australian whisky, you know the name Bill Lark, whose eponymous distillery created the first single-malt whisky in Tasmania since 1839. The people at Lark certainly know their booze – and they put just as much love and attention into their Forty Spotted gin label as they do their whisky.
Where Lark's whisky paradise is snug and cosy, Forty Spotted's own bar is all geometric clean lines and multicoloured wood. Cocktails are the go here, from the classic G&T to fancier numbers highlighting the juniper spirit. The bar stocks not only all of Forty Spotted's gin range – classic release, citrus, Tassie bush honey (fabulous with a hint of saltwater) and low-ABV raspberry and rose – but also gins from across Australia and around the world. All of Forty Spotted's gins can be purchased for takeaway sales – if they haven't sold out, that is.
You'll notice something a bit funny about those bottles: They are upside down. But if you turn them over, well, they look upside down that way too – perfect for gin from the bottom of the world. The point is made more explicit by the tiny map of Tasmania (oh, ha ha, get it out of your system) etched in glass in what would traditionally be the bottle's base.
Feeling inspired by Forty Spotted's range and fancy a go at creating some unique gin yourself? The bar offers gin-blending classes several afternoons a week, where you can try your hand at blending botanicals. You'll be given vials of individually flavoured spirits, from the warming spice of ginger to the zesty bite of lime to the piney sweetness of frankincense, to mix in a beaker. Try to balance the top notes, mid notes and base notes with (of course) the necessary juniper – and don't feel bad if it doesn't work out straight away. The whole thing has a bit of a boozy mad scientist vibe, and it's heaps of fun. When you get a mix you're happy with, the Forty Spotted team will multiply the ratios for you to make a 200ml bottle of bespoke, completely unique gin to take home.
