Craft distilling company Natural Distilling Co is in high spirits this week as it introduces Limonene Hemp Gin and Myrcene Hemp Vodka to the Australian market.
Natural Distilling Co’s new range of bespoke spirits have distinctive aromatic and flavour qualities thanks to their hero ingredient, the Cannabis Sativa plant, commonly known as Hemp.
“Hemp is a super-food and super plant, with countless environmental and nutritional benefits,” said founder Rhys Staley. “While you won’t get high from hemp, the drinks yield an ultra-rich, citrus profile.”
These locally produced premium craft spirits are distilled with Hemp Terpenes. Terpenes are the essential oils that give hemp and cannabis its distinctive aromatic and flavour qualities. The hemp is also cultivated in the Founders hometown in Gippsland, Victoria. Each bottle is made from Australian grain, raw, gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free and free from chemical additives, providing a natural hemp highlight.
“Three years ago, the first batch of craft spirits were created in a Gippsland farm shed, using my grandfather’s 55-year-old milk vat,” Staley said. “We spent years learning, tinkering and tasting to develop and refine our offering. Once the use of the natural super-plant Cannabis sativa (Hemp) was legalised in November 2017, we applied for a licence to grow and the rest is history. But don’t worry, the drinks aren’t made in the milk vat any more.”
Natural Distilling Co’s Hemp Gin is made using limonene, one of the main organic compounds found in cannabis plants. The limonene adds an ultra-rich profile to the spirit, mingling alongside notes of juniper, mandarin and lime, and finishing with soft spice. Limonene is also found in citrus peel and is said to have anti-inflammatory properties which can be used to relieve stress and naturally decrease anxiety and depression.
Natural Distilling Co’s Hemp Vodka focuses on the organic compound myrcene which is a powerful organic compound representing up to 50% of Cannabis’ terpene profile. Myrcene Hemp Vodka presents crisp notes of lavender and lemongrass, with a soft mid-palate finish. In clinical trials, Myrcene has shown properties that can aid sleep, reduce pain and inflammation.
The sustainable benefits of hemp
When it comes to growing food crops, hemp is one of the best for the environment. It’s naturally resistant to pests, which means no insecticide, pesticide or herbicide is needed.
Hemp also grows very tightly spaced. This not only means that you can use farmland in a more sustainable and productive way, but it also naturally starves out nearby weeds by depriving them of sunlight.
(It’s the opposite for humans – hemp is the only known plant food source of the bone-building Vitamin D3.)
Each ton of hemp cultivated captures around 1.63 tons of carbon from the air. Put simply hemp sucks carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere at an accelerated rate, then actively returns it to the earth.
Natural Distilling Co Hemp Gin and Hemp Vodka can be ordered via pre-order at a discounted rate online now with the first small batch release, arriving late October 2019. 700ml bottles are priced at RRP $70 and $86 from naturaldistillingco.com.au. A Hemp Rum, along with another first to market product line is currently in development.
