Tayla Kendall is one of Victoria’s most respected spirits advocates. She’s clocked more than two decades in the game, working both sides of the bar and more recently heading up the trade marketing teams at local distilleries The Gospel and Four Pillars Gin. Her latest move sees her flying the flag for all 180-plus distilleries across the state as the inaugural ambassador for Vic Distilled, a new platform backed by industry body Spirits Victoria.
On their own, Kendall and Vic Distilled are excellent assets to our distilling industry. Together, they’re unstoppable. Here’s Kendall now with the play-by-play from across Victoria – and how you can find your spirit.
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival events I’m most excited to check out are… Can I say all of them? MFWF is like Christmas for diners and , and dining is one of my favourite things to do. So far I have earmarked the Kenzo Crawl: History Edition featuring Bakery Hill Distillery and Nubilum Rakia. The Kenzo Crawl is a great experience on its own, so seeing it come to life with rich storytelling is an absolute must for me. I am also very excited to check out the Western Victorian Campfire Tale where Alejandro Saravia of Farmer’s Daughters is popping up at one of my favourite distillery door venues, Itinerant Spirits in Ballarat.
I love Ballarat, I adore smoke-kissed cooking on coals and the head distiller at Itinerant, James Fairlie, is absolutely world-class so it sounds like a match made in heaven. And, of course, I’m also really keen to check out You Yangs Feast: Spirit, Elixir, Fire at Rothwell Distillery. Tim Smith is producing some wonderful gins and cellos, and was featured in the winning cocktail of our first Serves of the State campaign. The premise of a “barbecue but not like you expect” has me all fired up and I cannot wait to see how the distillery looks after a major revamp.
As far as I’m concerned, the defining place to get a drink in Victoria is Black Kite Commune because Jess Clayfield and the team have an acute focus on local spirits (and wines, beers and food) that shine a spotlight on sincere relationships cultivated with producers. The drinks are always phenomenally creative but in a way that honours flavour over complication. You can really feel that the direction to “go local” isn’t a gimmick – it’s a genuine fascination with the breadth of spirits, wines and beers we have to offer as an industry and a sincere respect for the people that make them. It’s an ethos, not an afterthought. The moody lighting, sweeping staircase and beautiful roof always transport me to a cosy place. It’s quintessentially Melbourne in that way.
When someone hands me a drinks list, I immediately check out the cocktail list. I’m always scanning with excitement to see what representation local spirits have on the list and to my very pleasant surprise we’re seeing more and more local focus. While wine and beer lines reflect curated interest, cocktails to me are where the drinks list brings the personality of the venue and the people running it to life in a really tangible and delicious way.
The last three delicious Victorian spirits I drank were…
Bass & Flinders Apple Brandy is my new favourite “sipper” for any occasion. Holly Klintworth’s history in traditional brandy-making combined with modern innovation truly shatters any perception of brandy being something your grandpa drinks at Christmas.
The Gospel Legacy Rye is one I rediscovered in my stash and I honestly think it’s the best rye whiskey I’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping. It has sold out (I’ll share mine if you ask nicely) but I highly recommend you keep an eye out for any of their Project Release series – they’re a 100 per cent hit rate so far.
Last, but definitely not least, I’m not usually a fan of limoncello… that was until I tried the newly released options from Sundays Distilling in Moorabbin and Kilderkin Distillery in Ballarat. Clearly both distilleries are on a mission to convert the masses, and I’m now preaching the good word.
The Victorian spirit I’m loving most right now is the pear rakia by Nubilum in Kensington. Rakia is a brand-new sensory adventure for me and has unlocked a deep fascination for the history behind the spirit. Nubilum brings traditional rakia, inspired by the nonnas and babushkas in our lives who used to make them in tubs and sheds, into the new world with precision and modern flair. It’s like biting into a crisp, boozy pear straight off the tree.
Plus, their neighbourhood bar in Kensington is a real treat.
I’m excited to lead Vic Distilled as their inaugural ambassador because there is so much passion and optimism out there in our distilling industry right now. It’s been a challenging few years across the board but the people behind the spirits are showing their true spirit by cultivating a strong sense of community, resilience and innovation. It really feels like a community out there and being a voice for their stories truly feels like a sincere privilege.
And Vic Distilled is all about… Victoria has been making spirits for a very long time, however out of the 180-plus distilleries currently operating, more than 50 per cent of those have been established only in the last five years. It’s also evident that as a country we enjoy our spirits, but the majority of us are still reaching for the big-brand imports.
Our agenda here is to position Victoria as a leading spirits industry by not only getting locals to drink local but also supporting our distillers in scaling, export and building their community.
So, really, Vic Distilled is all about finding your spirit, and finding it in Victoria. The Victorian distilling scene has so much on offer and there’s not one single “taste” of Victoria, which may sound overwhelming at first but truly is a unique advantage. There is literally something out there for every palate or budget and therefore absolutely no reason not to drink local. The impact that swapping our everyday drinking habits for a local option has on our community and industry is immeasurable.
And Victorians can find their spirit by hitting the road. If you have a look at our Maker’s Map I can almost guarantee there’s a distillery only a stone’s throw away from you, or at least accessible by transport – be it road trips, bus lines, trams or trains. I have been truly impressed by the class of hospitality and experience each distillery has curated and there’s just nothing quite like discovering new experiences and also meeting the impassioned makers behind them.
Can’t get away? Next time you’re out for a drink or dinner ask your bartender for local recommendations. Bartenders are your walking tour guides to what’s on the bar and nearly always have their pulse on spirits you might not yet have heard of, but importantly if they don’t have anything local to offer it at the very least starts the very critical conversation that we should be supporting local. We can all be ambassadors for drinking local this way.
Some of my favourite places to buy Victorian spirits are… It’s a bit of a drive for some of us, but Alcohol By Victoria (ABV) in Bendigo is a must visit. They exclusively range Victorian spirits, beers and wines and are the same team behind Noble Bootlegger Distilling Co. There’s a wealth of knowledge and personality coming out of that team so even if you’re not shopping you simply must pop in for a good time
A little closer to home, I love Gemini in Coburg. There’s nothing they can’t do exceptionally well and they’re all the loveliest humans. Gemini is a café-into-bar venue but additionally they have a little takeaway bottleshop with a beautifully curated selection from Loro, The Gospel, Dutch Rules, Brogan’s Way, Saint Felix and more.
Some of the most exciting things happening in Victoria’s spirits scene are… Speaking generally I would say that we’re in a really promising era of refinement. There was a significant explosion of distilleries establishing themselves across the state in 2019 through to 2022 so it was a really exciting time for pushing new boundaries and exploration. Right now it feels like distilleries are really hitting their stride and refining their approach to production, but also looking at long-term sustainability. Distilleries are choosing quality over quantity when it comes to their offerings and I feel like that’s a sign of stabilisation and long-term commitment to a flourishing industry.
I’d love to see people in Victoria distilling more brandy. Like many people I just forgot about brandy and how good it is. As a state we have a lot of great grape-growing regions, and statistically speaking less people are drinking wine, so there’s plenty of grape juice about. Brandy is fantastic as an aperitif, after dinner sipper or a rich cocktail base – bring on a brandy resurgence, I say.
My guilty pleasure in the fridge/drinks cabinet/at the bar is… As a long-term bartender it feels a little sacrilegious to say this but I absolutely love an RTD. There’s something about the feeling of cracking a cold-one or pouring a well-balanced cocktail straight out of a chilled, glass bottle after a long day that just tickles my brain in all the right ways. And now that there’s a wide range of local options that prioritise flavour and quality over mass production, I am spoilt for choice. I always have Starward’s Bottled Coffee Old Fashioned in my fridge.
But if I’m at the bar? Don’t get me started on a Japanese Slipper made with Stache House’s Melon Liqueur because I can never have just one.
The best or most important change to the way people drink in Victoria in recent years has been quality over quantity. I don’t think this is a new narrative, but it is certainly one that’s continuing to trend upwards. People drink less but take more consideration for flavour, quality, price point and locality. To me that is all great news and offers a balance to drinking culture as a whole.
For me, the most inspiring person in the Victorian drinks world is… There’s truly too many to choose from. I must say I am really enamoured by Carlie Dyer (head distiller and blender over at Starward in South Melbourne). Carlie is not only one of the most lovely humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, but her approach to distilling is really humble and unique. Starward is a brand built on an adventurous spirit where accessibility, reliability and premium innovation is core and Carlie brings that to life beautifully.
Carlie’s Co-Ferment release blew my mind, too. Drawing upon her history as a winemaker, and Starward’s signature red wine barrel aging, this whisky is half malt and half grape juice. So the end result is kind of a whisky and kind of a wine but entirely delicious.
Find out more about Vic Distilled here, and find your spirit with Tayla Kendall and Vic Distilled at @vicdistilled.