In the Bottle
What is about the sparkling ocean and lush hills of the Sunshine Coast? How do they just seem to make you forget all the worries that brought you here in the first place? Deb Caruso discovers how Sunshine & Sons didn’t know the answer but got to thinking – if only they could bottle it.
When four best mates threw their collective lot in to solve this puzzle there was only one way to go about it. The Sunshine Coast is a premium place and deserved to have a drink that captured that spirit. “Whatever it takes,” they said to each other.
Matt Hobson, a Founder of Sunshine & Sons, tells us that for him “my friends, family and tourists alike visit the Sunshine Coast and sample our lifestyle with just a little envy that the region others like myself are lucky enough to call home is not their own.”
“Sunshine & Sons absolutely wanted to do justice to this and the promise and the memory,” he said. “It’s all about the allure and the warmth of Queensland’s beautiful subtropical coast.
“We started with the finest copper sheet available and with industry legend and Sunshine & Sons Head Distiller Adam Chapman pushing Tasmanian artisan copper workers to the limit of their craft, the hand-made pot stills and the steam that heats them came to life on Australia Day of 2020.”
Named ‘Sarah’ and ‘Maria’, the boys believe their stills are the finest examples of their kind on mainland Australia distilling the very finest distilled spirits.
Spirits that are absolutely intended to make the Sunshine Coast proud.
At every step of production from the ingredients selected and throughout the entirety of the distilling process Sunshine & Sons products are guaranteed to impress. From the bespoke Woombye Water to the volcanic rocks harvested from local headlands to be used in the filtration process, every step is a labour of love – and the proof is in the proverbial pudding, or the icy glass.
Take the Sunshine & Sons Original Dry Gin – conceived and crafted with nine native and traditional botanicals to be served without any garnish, just your choice of tonic and ice. It’s no wonder it debuted at Number 10 in the Covent Garden West End Hottest 100 Australian Gins in ‘Ginuary’ this year.
The Original Vodka is filtered through the aforementioned volcanic rock and served neat or on ice and so velvety smooth. Enjoy as a mule on ice with a nip of pineapple juice, two nips of ginger beer and a squeeze of lime.
The Parfait Gin is a homage to the glory days of the Big Pineapple and the country wide fame of this iconic destination’s Pineapple Parfait – pineapple, passionfruit, strawberry, mango, vanilla and coconut tumbling across your palate like a fruit salad. Just like it would have been back in the day as you tucked into dessert heaven scooped from a hollowed half of a pineapple. Pure nostalgia and pretty damn close to their original vision of bottling the essence of what it is to be Sunshine Coast.
Matt reminds us that with the variety of spirit and spirit related products on offer it’s easy for many consumers to be confused or overwhelmed.
“Our Original Dry Gin and Original Vodka are both widely retailed throughout the Coast and from Hobart to Cairns – including in the major retailers as well as many, many independents and bars and clubs,” he said. “They are artisan distilled for the discerning drinker who just knows there is something better waiting for them.
“We know there are many other options, including the plethora of sweetened, flavoured and blended drinks, but we love hearing the feedback from consumers who have had the opportunity to fall in love with true craft spirits and tell us they didn’t realise what they have been missing out on.”
The boys at Sunshine & Sons love showing people what they are up to and what amazing products are next and in development. Tastings and Distillery tours are absolutely free with no need to book. Say g’day at the Distillery, 104 Nambour Connection Rd Woombye between 10am to 5pm everyday or [email protected]
