North Of Eden Gin launch first-of-its-kind Oyster Shell Vodka

In a first of its kind process, the vodka is distilled through oyster shells - a process adapted by the local artisanal distiller, involving hundreds of locally sourced oyster shells.

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The shells are hand-cleaned and then stacked in small copper alembic stills to act as a purifier during the distillation process, completely flipping on its head the traditional method of using tall stills.

The alcohol is distilled three times to a clarity that allows Master Distiller Gavin Hughes to skip filtration, allowing the vodka to retain its sweetness.

The oyster shell vodka was launched to an exclusive crowd of local suppliers and business owners on Monday May 29. Guests were treated to a divine tasting experience at the North of Eden Gin cellar door in Stony Creek.

The idea to make vodka had been a pipe dream for Gavin and co-owner Karen Touchie; a labour of love involving years of meticulous experimentation.

"I thought it would be impossible for us to make a vodka, because I know that premium vodka is generally only made on much larger, and very specialised, column stills," Ms Touchie said.

Gavin told the crowd he'd thought he was going to give up pursuing vodka, unable to recall the endless amount of batches he'd trialled before finally settling on a finished product.

"There's nowhere to hide with vodka. If you make a mistake in your process it'll show through," Mr Hughes said.

And the result of his tireless work was astounding, with the oyster shell vodka already having taken home a silver medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) in San Francisco.

"A clean nose with zesty citrus notes and a subtle grain character. Balanced, creamy texture with soft caramel, white pepper, herbal undertones and hints of vanilla on the finish," IWSC judges noted, on awarding the silver medal.

To launch the unique product, North of Eden Gin enlisted the help of the extravagant and beloved Martini Whisperer, Phillip Jones who spoke highly of the vodka as the event's emcee.

The craft spirits advocate and former judge of Australian and international distilling awards had high praise for the vodka, and the work of North of Eden Gin.

"What Gavin and Karen have done is craft something unique that speaks not only to their locale and its gifts but offers a deliciously complex vodka that is world-class," Mr Jones said.

"What's really fantastic about them is that they're inspired by their place, they're using local water and local botanicals.

"To have that lateral bit of thinking and look around at what's available and think 'hey I could work with that', I think is pretty much a world first."

Mr Jones said he could definitely see other distilleries picking up on the method, but said it would be impossible to replicate North of Eden Gin's product.

"The beauty of craft distilling is you could have someone copy the recipe in another part of the world and it won't taste the same," Mr Jones said.

Guests enjoyed an exclusive tasting of the vodka in various forms, from cocktails to spritzes and sodas, however Gavin said neat was best.

Excited to share their vodka, Gavin and Karen said it was important they hosted a launch before the product went on sale.

"This is the first time we've done a physical launch of a product," Gavin said.

"It's a premium vodka. It's one that you can sip. It's got a lovely creamy mouth feel and without doing a physical launch we wouldn't have been able to get that across.

"It was also to say thank you, because all the people that are here are people that supported us when we first started making gin," Karen added.

As part of the launch, guests were invited to clean oyster shells themselves before being presented with certificates and goodie bags with some tasty samples.

Now launched locally, the Oyster Shell Vodka can be purchased at independent bottle shops in the region, as well as online at the North of Eden Gin website or cellar door on weekends.

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