The story

How do four long-time friends, including a farmer, a data scientist, a community engagement officer and a finance manager become South Australia’s newest craft gin producers?

Like all good stories, it begins with a late-night gin session…

It was the wee hours of a Saturday morning at a popular Adelaide pub when Kris and Stuart started in on their favourite topic of conversation – starting their own gin company.

But this time, the banter turned semi-serious.

At home in Mount Gambier, Ben’s phone pinged with a message that read ‘what about using water from your sinkhole for gin?’

It was the first time Ben and brother Graham - the custodians of one of the Limestone Coast’s most fascinating sinkholes - had considered the limestone-filtered water might be just the ticket for the ultimate gin recipe (find out more about Kilsby Sinkhole below).

After the night ended and a day or two passed, we started to realise that perhaps we were on to something

Soon, ideas were flying thick and fast and the concept of Sinkhole Gin started to take shape.

As Ben says, ‘we know gin, we’ve been drinking it for a long time,’ but the nitty gritty details of actually producing a gin ‘from sinkhole to glass’ were all new.

We had to find a distiller who shared our vision, source local botanicals, research the legalities, delve into label design and all-importantly, decide on the taste!

We won’t lie – there was a heck of a lot of tasting involved. Professional, serious tasting, of course.

A year on, the first batch is on its way and we are ready to invite you to share in the launch of Sinkhole Gin, the Limestone Coast region’s first craft gin.

Our first batch will produce 350 bottles (ahem, some of which may slip into local hands) and will be ready for delivery in the first weeks of December – the best Christmas present imaginable.

We’re not after world domination but we’ve got big dreams. In a year or two, we’d like to be producing Sinkhole Gin right at the source, in a specially designed copper still right next door to Kilsby Sinkhole.

We imagine in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to visit the sinkhole, taste the muntries, sip on a perfectly made G&T and watch as Sinkhole Gin is created.

One thing is for sure. The investment you make in our company today will go towards a bigger, better and more amazing Sinkhole Gin into the future.

Best of all, you get to sample South Australia’s newest gin and we reckon you’re going to love it.

The Gin

Sinkhole Gin is a celebration of the Limestone Coast region.

You may have heard the phrase, ‘clear as gin’. An essential ingredient of gin is good old-fashioned water and what could be better than the purest, limestone-filtered water, direct from the aquifer supplying Mount Gambier’s most unique sinkhole.

What gives Sinkhole Gin it’s floral, aromatic nose and smooth finish?

The real hero is muntries, a tiny native cranberry or ‘emu apple’, which grow wild along the South Australian coastline and were once a staple of the Ngarrindjeri and Boandik diet.

The taste has been described as being like ‘apple and rhubarb crumble’, so let that mental image whet your appetite.

Sourced through a local nursery for our first batch of Sinkhole Gin, we’ve taken on the ambitious task of planting more than 100 bushes on the property alongside the sinkhole, so fruit for future batches will be grown right on site.

To complete the picture, we’ve carefully selected native Australian botanicals – a little juniper here, lashings of honey there, a pinch of lime zest, a dash of lemon myrtle and strawberry gum. Add in chamomile, cinnamon and coriander and hello!  With almost 20 ingredients all playing a unique role, we reckon we’ve got an uber gin recipe on our hands.

The result is fun, fresh and very, very drinkable.

And the aroma is going to knock your socks off.

Here’s what we think.

Kris likes the touch of spice at the end, Stuart digs the floral nose and Ben, well Ben likes its smooth finish. But Graham gets the final say and as usual, he’s bang on the money. “There’s just something about it,” he says with a smile.

As a special pairing partner for our launch, we’re offering a limited release of a limoncello version of our gin boasting hand-peeled lemons from local farmyards. The result is a bright, no fuss, easy-drinking liquor that’s fun and we’re super-chuffed with the outcome. Great for cocktails, slow-sipping as a digestif or straight up and bold in a chilled glass.

The inspiration: Kilsby Sinkhole

Sinkhole Gin is inspired by one of South Australia’s most unique natural wonders.

Hidden away on farming land, in a corner of the Limestone Coast, is Kilsby Sinkhole.

Renowned for its natural beauty and crystal-clear water, this grand old lady gives up her secrets when the sun breaks through the clouds, illuminating the 30-metre deep limestone chamber with brilliant cobalt blue rays of light.

It’s a sight that stays with you, long after you’ve left.

Courtesy Matt Testoni

Protected from the elements, Kilsby Sinkhole contains the purest and clearest water that has been limestone filtered for thousands of years. Special water for a special gin.

The sinkhole has been a way of life for four generations of the Kilsby family.

Once upon a time, buckets were hauled down into its depths by farmers raising water for animals to drink.

For the Kilsby kids, it was the ultimate summer playground, a unique natural swimming pool that had to be seen to be believed.

It was the 1950s before news of the amazing sinkhole on the Kilsby property spread, with recreational divers flocking to the site to be the first to explore its depths.

Over the decades, the sinkhole has attracted cave divers from across the world and acted as a valuable training ground to SAPOL police divers.

The sinkhole is now recognised as one of the Limestone Coast region’s most beautiful natural wonders, ranking up there with Mount Gambier’s famous Blue Lake and Umpherston Cave.

In coming months, the sinkhole will be open to the public and you can see for yourself what a special place it is.

Sinkhole Gin is designed to capture a little bit of that Kilsby Sinkhole magic.

We’ve sought to emulate that incredible light phenomenon, which has wowed visitors the world over, through our bottle design.

We invite you to share in our progress, watch our brand develop and most of all, enjoy being a part of a new South Australian company.

So check out our website at www.sinkholegin.com, follow us on Instagram and Facebook or touch base with Ben Kilsby to talk about all things gin and sinkholes at [email protected]

We’re looking forward to watching you discover Sinkhole Gin.

Ben, Graham, Kris and Stuart

How will the funds be used?

All the research and development of Sinkhole Gin has been fully funded along with the government licences and other costs required to get to this point, but now we need your support.  The funds from this campaign will go directly into helping us produce our first release and once we have hit our target kick start the production of batch 2 and 3.

The Challenges

We do not have any major risks that we can see, we have an amazing team of people and local businesses that are supporting us as we start production.  We have and will continue to face challenges, so to keep producing we need your support. Please share our story with your family and friends because the biggest challenge for us will be get our story out and get as many people as possible enjoying what we are producing.  

Liquor Licence Information

Sinkhole Gin supports the responsible service of alcohol.  It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to, or to obtain alcohol on behalf of, a person under the age of 18 years.  All product shipped by us must therefore be received and signed for by a person over the age of 18 years. We are unable to post to PO Boxes.  Due to licensing restrictions we are unable to ship Sinkhole Gin outside of Australia.

South Australian Producer's Licence number: 50821472

South Australian Liquor Licensee: Sinkhole Gin Pty Ltd