Kangaroo Island Spirits has unveiled its festive release, Spiced Pudding Gin. Master Distiller Brett ‘Doogie’ Christophers combined an old family Christmas pudding recipe with his distilling expertise to create the limited edition gin.
“The result of a quarter of a century of baking, this gin is a tribute to cherished Christmas traditions. It’s the perfect drink to really get into the festive spirit,” says Christophers.
“We wanted it to scream Christmas. Everyone can relate to these flavors at this time of year. Hopefully it will remind them of time spent with family and friends over the holidays, which is when gin is best enjoyed.
“As a baker for 25 years, our main products at this time of year were Christmas puddings and fruit mince pies. I thought Christmas pudding was a good flavor that we could transfer to a gin.”
Christophers set out to combine his rich baking history with festive charm, and the result is a 37.5% ABV sipping gin that evokes flavors of cinnamon, cloves, mixed spices and dried fruit on the palate. In describing the gin’s flavor profile, he also told The Shout how it was created.
“The Spiced Pudding Gin boasts a harmonious blend reminiscent of the classic Christmas dessert. It’s a delightful journey of sweet, smooth and spicy notes.
“It was a bit of trial and error. Working with cinnamon and mixed spices is always a bit tricky because they’re so powerful. Working with fruit is also always a challenge because of their natural sugars. In the end, finding the balance between sweetness and spice while still remaining a gin was what we were striving for”.
More than just a sipping gin, Christophers suggested a few of his favorite ways to serve Spiced Pudding Gin.
“[Spiced Pudding Gin] can be served however you like. We designed it to be perfectly drinkable neat or on the rocks, and it’s great mixed with ginger ale. It can go in your coffee or with ice cream, or even in an espresso martini.
“My favorite is a cocktail created by our cellar door staff called the Chrisco Bisco, which uses Spiced Pudding Gin along with cream, milk and a house-made Biscoff caramel.”
Spiced Pudding Gin, priced at $99 for 700ml, is available now at independent retailers.
