The all-new Cellar Door Fest Distillery Edit achieves the impossible, offering a whistle-stop tour of 45 of the best in one stacked weekend.

In the not-so-distant past, it was requisite of every South Australian to recite a trio of must-visit wineries as easily as recommending a good chip, dumpling or wood oven pizza place.

Now, the State’s reputation for world-class gin necessitates an adequate knowledge of this and other spirits. All in the name of being a good host.

But, never fear. If you need to swot up on your spirits, book a ticket for Cellar Door Fest Distillery Edit.

It is delivered by the team behind the award-winning Cellar Door Fest summer festival and, in the convenience of the swish Adelaide Convention Centre, you can sample your way across the State’s vibrant spirits scene and its hottest distillers.

Festival director Alex Bradford says the Distillery Edit is a natural extension of Cellar Door Fest, which in recent years expanded its focus to showcase distilleries alongside local SA wineries. She says the popularity of spirits comes from a change in our drinking habits in the last decade.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen an absolute explosion of local distilleries producing gin,” she says.

“It’s really interesting to see that a lot of producers are now also branching out into some quite weird and wonderful other spirits.”

With forty-five distillers taking part in the event, the ‘weird’ includes 100 Years Spirit of the Stag – a deer antler velvet extract infused liquor blending mead with velvet, which among other things is purported to increase sexual vigour.

Cellar Door Fest Distillery Edit’s main focus is on gin, whisky, vodka and rum, and Alex says it presents a fabulous opportunity to taste the state’s wide-flung output.

“What the event does well is it allows you to sample the products from producers that may not be a day trip from Adelaide,” she says.

“Like Eyre Peninsula Spirits which offer a really cool West Coast Cut vodka… [and] St Mary’s Spirits all the way down the Limestone Coast. We’re actually featuring them on the Fever-Tree Cocktail Bar menu with a rose petal and date vodka mixed with strawberries, mint and Fever-Tree ginger beer.”

With distillers offering tastings, but not drink sales, the Fever-Tree Cocktail Bar is the ‘jewel in the crown’ according to Alex.

“It will be serving up a range of different cocktails throughout the three sessions,” she continues. “And we’ve got some really fun drinks on the menu.”

Alex may be referring to the intriguingly named Declared Hotspot, the ingredients of which include Storytellers Distillery’s Volume 1: Australian Dry gin, green tomato, lime, pepperberry, bay leaf and a salted nori garnish. It could be the perfect antidote to the pandemic, served chilled in a COVID-safe environment.

Another highlight is the masterclass program, serving up a range of educational and interactive sessions including the Bootlegger’s Guide to Prohibition; Cocktail Hour with Threefold Distilling; and Fever-Tree: The Gin to Your Tonic.

Alex also mentions Seven Seasons, ‘a relative newcomer to the market, focusing on native Australian ingredients as flavourings’. Their masterclass, Making Sense of Seven Seasons, will be hosted by founder Daniel Motlop, a name familiar to Port Adelaide football fans.

For the whisky enthusiasts among us, rounding out the masterclass experiences is Whisky Business: The Ultimate Whisky Quiz, which includes a guided tasting.

The explosion of distilleries in South Australia has seen a range of garnish producers spring up. Those featuring at Distillery Edit include Botonic Boutique and A Life of Plenty.

For more substantial nourishment, there will be food trucks on hand including local favourites Uz Gözleme and pop-up gourmet bagelry, Pearla Tuck Shop.

While there is no question that gin is having its day in the sun, alternative spirits and aperitifs, such as amaro and rakia, are tempting a new generation. Brandy is also worth paying attention to with represented producers including 23^rd Street Distiller, Mount Compass Spirits and Lobo Spirits.

“Brandies are making a real comeback, particularly in Europe,” explains Alex. “So, I would expect that perhaps that might be the next new trend sweeping across SA’s distilleries.”

If this all sounds like a lot of spirits to sample in just two days, Alex has some advice to help you get the most from the event.

“If I was attending as a guest, I’d recommend splitting the tasting journey into the different types of beverages… perhaps starting with gin as there are by far the most gin producers,” she says.

“Then I would certainly do some of the masterclasses. I think having the opportunity to sit down in a relatively intimate setting with some of these really passionate, dedicated producers would be a highlight of the event.

“And then you’d probably find me at the Fever-Tree Cocktail Bar.”

Sounds like a plan.