Flavours Tell Tall Tales at Tara Distillery

This is boutique spirits distilling and good old-fashioned storytelling at its best, thanks to the deep research, heritage ties and commitment of Ben Stephenson and Alarna Doherty, who are creating sensational flavours (including locally foraged sea lettuce) in their growing range.

Good things come to those who wait. No truer words have been spoken in relation to husband-and-wife team Ben Stephenson and Alarna Doherty, owners of Tara Distillery in Nowra Hill. A visit to their tasting room and distillery makes it clear to see the passion that goes into each bottle. Their pot still gin has 17 different botanicals and took over two years to develop.

Tara’s distillers Ben and Alarna source fresh, local botanicals and ingredients for their boutique range of spirits. Photo: supplied

Each botanical is deliberately selected to add to the story and the layers of flavour and profile. One of the ingredients that really surprised me was the locally sourced and foraged sea lettuce from the white sandy beaches of the Shoalhaven. “It is really a botanical that is used for the mouth-feel of the gin, opposed to a salty-umami flavour.” says Ben.

The range at Tara is deliberately smaller than many other distilleries, as quality is at the core of how they create these amazing spirits. You only need to spend five minutes with Ben to see how passionate and articulate he is not only about his gin but also his heritage and the history of distilling in the Shoalhaven.

One of the most intriguing releases out of Tara is their version of Irish moonshine or Poitín (pronounced “pot-cheen”), a clear illicit spirit traditionally made with whatever was to hand, be it apples, grain or even tree sap. Ben tells the story of Irish immigrants taking their Poitín-making skills into the Cambewarra Mountains in the 1800s, with the resulting spirit becoming infamous throughout the colonies. Ben delivers this story with both enthusiasm and knowledge as a part of the tasting experience Tara offers.

Pride of place in the distillery are the two custom-made copper stills, one a 600-litre gin still, the other an impressive 2500-litre whiskey still.

They are steam heated using water from the onsite 100,000 litre rainwater tank. Both were made in regional NSW in what is another core element of the Tara Distillery ethos: to use locally sourced and manufactured products whenever possible in their spirit making.

The stills were made with a deliberate shape that contributes to the process of capturing the purest flavours and concentrates the vapour as it channels up the neck of the still. They use the traditional single-shot steeping method of gin making, where the botanicals sit inside the still and act like a tea. The infusion of the botanicals gives a deeper and more rounded flavour to the gin.

As Ben explains each gin, he accurately describes each taste you experience on all parts of the palette. This really adds to the whole experience: you start as a gin novice and leave as an expert. Ben encourages tasters to try the spirit neat to understand the profile before opening up different notes by adding tonic. The purpose of this is to show the way the spirit develops and can be used in different formats, from a simple gin and tonic to a martini or anything else you can think of!

Ben Stephenson (pictured) at Tara Distillery is a fount of knowledge and a great storyteller during a tasting experience. Photo: supplied

Ben has a passion for whiskey and all things around it. Tara Distillery takes a purist approach to the way they make their whiskey, starting with a grain based beer that they brew themselves in-house to distill for their whiskey. Patience is required in whiskey distilling, by law you are required to lay the spirit down for two years before you can sell it. Another one of Ben’s passions and a rabbit hole that he enjoys discussing with visitors is the types of barrels used in ageing and flavouring of spirits. Sherry barrels are the most premium you can buy for ageing due to the flavour characteristics they can impart to the spirit. It is conversations like these with Ben that show how much detail, thought, dedication and research go into the creation of excellent spirits.

In the Tara range are two exceptional liqueurs that are as thoughtful as they are full of flavour. In the pursuit of making a coffee liqueur that gives a nod to quality dark malt roasted coffee flavours, Ben and Alarna tried almost every coffee from Kiama to Batemans Bay. The Stern Pony is the coffee liqueur by name but is much more! There is certainly a theme running through the Tara Distillery story, the finest available products are always at the forefront in their creations. After many many, many coffees, Hyper Hyper Coffee, roasted just down the road in Nowra, was the final choice for the Stern Pony. It matches perfectly with organic cocoa nibs and fresh vanilla to give a totally balanced liqueur that can be drunk neat, in an espresso martini or over milk. As a non-coffee drinker, this was my pick of the range, the coffee was not overpowering and complemented the vanilla and cocoa notes.

Tara’s Blooming Gin is an exceptional gin, so much so that it is regularly sold out (including on our recent visit, another reason to go again soon when the next batch is ready).

This is a unique and special type of pink gin, as Ben says, while some other pink gins just use artificial colours and flavours, “our beautiful colour and flavour comes from the locally grown rhubarb, blackberries and hint of strawberry”.

Ben recommends drinking this with Fever Tree elderflower tonic to pair the sweetness and enhance it with a strawberry garnish. This gin is so well received that the ‘Gin Queen’ Caroline Ashford named it as one of her top 10 gins of 2022. Tara Distillery is no stranger to this level of recognition, with a swag of medals to their credit. In 2022, Tara collect a gold and three silver medals at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards.

The opportunity to talk shop and try the Tara range with Ben at the helm is something you must do as a spirits lover or someone who enjoys and understands craftmanship. Tara Distillery in Nowra Hill is another example of quality product that can be found right on our doorstep in Jervis Bay.

You can visit their website https://www.taradistillery.com/ to book into a tasting session or buy from their range.