Boutique Perth liquor store uses unique island botanicals to create world-first 'Rottnest Gin'

If self-isolation has you pining for Rottnest, fear not - The Wine Thief, a boutique liquor store tucked away in West Leederville, has just released Rottnest Island Gin. Infused with the botanicals and flavours of Rottnest, their first batch of 200 bottles sold out in two days, and much of the second batch has already been pre-sold.

A savoury gin with a saltiness that sings of the ocean, the botanicals used include the Rottnest Island Daisy, a coastal wildflower native to the island, and Rottnest Island pine. Run by husband and wife team Damian and Nicole, The Wine Thief stock an incredible 300 gins from all over the world, about a third of which come from Australia. Making a Rottnest Island gin has been a dream of Damian and Nicole’s, one they have been working on for the past 3 years. _“Rottnest has always held a special place in our hearts, and we wanted to capture Rottnest in a bottle - the sense of fun and freedom that it gave us as a child.”_ _“It’s one thing to have a concept, another to have it happen,”_ Nicole said, revealing that they had to learn all about gin distilling, and all the things that go into making a bottle of gin from sourcing the botanicals to coming up with a label concept. The pair partnered with Old Young Distillery to bring the final product to life, with the photograph used for the label taken at Rottnest’s idyllic Parker Point. Nicole and Damian opened The Wine Store in West Leederville 5 years ago and have built up a wonderfully loyal community through regular wine tastings and their morning coffee window. _“Coffee in the morning, alcohol at night – a place to satisfy both vices!”_ Nicole jokes, seriously. For those wanting to try other locally made gins, Nicole said there are lots of small local producers in WA making incredible gins with local botanicals, including West Winds down south, Souwester (who make really lovely, higher-end gins), Tattarang Springs, and, of course, Old Young Distillery. If you want to make your own Rottnest Island Gin ‘Quarintini’ at home, Nicole recommends pairing the gin with Indian or Mediterranean tonic from Fevertree and a slice of citrus such as grapefruit. With saltier gins, it can be a good idea to throw in something more acidic to cut through the salt and balance out the flavour. They will do home delivery within a 5km radius, so give them a call on 0414 836 439 and enjoy!

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