What did you did you do before starting Kalki Moon? My career in the alcohol industry started at the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery in my hometown of Bundaberg in 2000. What inspired you to create your gin and distillery? I had been making alcohol for others for 16 years so I thought why not have a go on my own. I’ve always been one to have a go, rather than to sit back and wonder what if – so with that decision it was put into plan to open our own family distillery. Our range of gins are very clean, well balanced and pack a lot of flavour. In the researching stage of my pilgrimage I really embraced the rules of a London Dry Gin; Juniper forward with no alteration to the product, only using water to dilute.  Can you tell us more about the distillery? The distillery is set in an industrial section of our town, Bundaberg, and only 1k from the Airport. We have made it to feel as warm and welcoming as possible and we currently occupy 880 square metres of space. The distillery is basically in 2 sections, the tasting bar and cellar door, and then production and warehousing of barrels for our ageing rum. What can people expect and experience if they visit the distillery? We are open 7 days with tastings from 10am. Being family owned you will be welcomed with open arms and guided through our range of products. What have been the biggest challenges and achievements so far? I would have to say funding and cashflow. The distillery was started on a shoe string budget and at the time of setting up there wasn’t enough for myself to be getting paid a wage, so I was working in a local alcohol distributor while doing all the licensing applications and setting the company up. In the end it turned out to be a great experience because it taught me another side of the industry I had not been exposed to. The finance of the company wasn’t easy either, but I was fortunate that my brother-in-law and lifelong best friend invested in the company and my mother Dianne and in-laws Shane & Annette believed in my vision for a small batch distillery with hundreds of hours of donated time. One thing I am extremely proud of is that to date we have still not had to borrow any money and have remained financially buoyant on the initial money the company was founded on.  How would you describe your gins in 3 words?
Clean, Flavoursome, Australian. What's your favourite way to drink Kalki Moon Gin? Gin Gin Mule: Gin with Ginger Beer, Lime and Mint. Which gins would you always have on your gin shelf (other than your own of course!)? Strangely enough I’m not much of a Gin drinker, I leave that to my wife who has a well-stocked Gin Wing. Her favourite UK Gin would be Tanqueray 10 Gin whilst of local Australian gins, besides our Navy Strength, would be Never Never Distillery’s Triple Juniper. What's next for you and Kalki Moon - any exciting plans? We're looking to grow our gin in the UK and work on an Old Tom, and possibly a contemporary gin as all of our current gins are London Dry. Plus we are getting ready to launch our first Gin RTD Can. You Might Also Like...
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