Rockpool Partners Rainfall Distillery for Exclusive Gin Launch

Tuesday, 19 September 2023: Rockpool Bar & Grill is celebrating the advent of Spring with the arrival of a custom-made gin by Rainfall Distillery at Ampersand Estates in the Southern Forests of Western Australia.

The Rainfall Distillery and Rockpool Bar & Grill Gin is exclusive to the three Rockpool restaurants in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney where it will join a line-up of high-end, locally crafted spirits behind the bar at each location.

The beautiful, boutique gin features fresh, seasonal, and high-quality produce harvested from the local region, including from the luxury Ampersand Estates where the distillery is located. The gin’s influencing flavours come from heirloom oranges picked from a century-old estate tree, as well as smoke extracted from Karri tree bark collected from the estate, yuzu lemon skin from fruit harvested by Waterfield Farms in the Southern Forests, and juniper. In line with Rainfall Distillery’s philosophy to help sustainability in the region, potatoes grown by farmers in Pemberton and Manjimup are also included in the extraordinary distillation.

Ampersand Estates and Rainfall Distillery Owner Corrie Scheepers said the Rockpool collaboration was born from a shared philosophy of sourcing the best local and seasonal ingredients and aligning with like-minded artisans and producers.

“Rainfall Distillery and Ampersand Estates view Rockpool as a strategic partner due to its status as an iconic Australian brand renowned for delivering exceptional dining experiences, while demonstrating a commitment to supporting local Australian producers and utilising the freshest, highest quality ingredients. This aligns with our own philosophy of spirits creation,” Mr Scheepers said.

“It is important to highlight that extraordinary products come from extraordinary ingredients and extraordinary collaborations between ourselves, producers, and chefs like Rockpool Perth Head Chef Brendan Owens who was very involved in the process from the start, ensuring the gin was to be versatile and enduring. Brendan also gave us an idea of charred citrus and as a distillery we worked our magic to create a few options, which we then narrowed down to final selection with the Rockpool team.”

Chef Brendan said the final gin was selected for its unique charred citrus and Karri bark characteristics, which reflected Rockpool’s signature wood-fire grill flavours.

“I was astonished to find how well the subtle, smokiness of the gin tasted alongside our wood-fire grilled steaks, particularly the David Blackmore Wagyu eye chuck, which can take longer to cook and becomes very caramelised; the smoke in the gin works well with the wood fire notes. It is a pairing I will certainly be encouraging guests to try, whether they are gin lovers or simply open to unique beverage recommendations beyond our wine list.”

To celebrate the launch of the Rainfall Distillery and Rockpool Bar & Grill Gin, Rockpool Perth will host a Rainfall Gin Vertical Tasting at the restaurant on Saturday, 7 October from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, including cocktails and canapés. Tickets are $99 per person.