Founded by hospitality veteran Danny Perera in 2022, this Mitcham distillery knows its way around a classic juniper-forward number as well as anyone. But it’s the magic that happens when they borrow flavour from South and South-East Asia that has won them a keen following; their Thai Gin, for example, alive with cardamom, coriander, lemongrass and ginger.
Here’s how it’s made, where to find it and how to best enjoy it.
Give us the elevator pitch, what makes your gin different and/or special?
We really push the boundary with flavour. Not only when it comes to some of the spices and botanicals we use in our gins, but also the volume of flavour we pack into them. Some brands are putting in 10-20 grams per litre of flavour, we put in double.
Who are you and what are you all about?
I had this dream for a long time. I have a brewery in Clayton called Two Rupees but wanted to try something new. I love gin, and I drink a lot of G&Ts back home in Sri Lanka. I found the space that is now our distillery back in 2022 and we opened our gin bar March 2024.
We have a strong team behind the brand. Sai Merchant is my right-hand guy. He’s a hospo professional and has worked for some incredible brands like Diplomatico Rum. He takes care of all the day-to-day, from marketing to operations. My head distiller, Brad Dickman, came across to us after he left Mountain Goat and mate, he makes a good gin. He’s got a lot of ideas for what we will make next, but he’s a perfectionist so you won’t see anything new until he’s happy with it. Clint Weaver and the team at Pocketbeagles have done so much for me: they designed my labels and helped design the new gin bar.
Explain like we’re five: how do you make it?
We use a wheat-based spirit for our gin which gives it a really nice smooth mouthfeel. Step one is to load the still with the spirit, then we add our juniper and dried botanicals to the pot; for our New World Dry Gin this would be strawberry gum, macadamia, lavender and a few others. We also add our fresh botanicals to the gin basket – ingredients like orange, strawberry and lemon.
We turn the still on and it comes out after a few hours full of flavour but very alcoholic. So we rest it for a couple of weeks to maximise the flavour before we dilute it to the right percentage. We’ll let it rest for another week after that before we bottle and label, ready to send out.
What excites you about this project?
I’m excited to tell the story of gin from a different perspective. We’re doing something unique with our gins and other spirits, and people are using our gins in really fun and different ways. It makes me happy knowing that my gins match up with a whole range of cuisines, and we are working to make more gins that match up with even more flavours. Being from a South Asian background this kind of representation is important to me.
What are the perfect conditions to enjoy Dutch Rules?
We’re drinking New World Dry Gin with some light tonic, cucumber, strawberry and lots of ice. The sun is shining, we’ve got the vinyl out, Khruangbin is blasting from the speakers, there’s probably a pool and some coconut trees, and I have my family and my mates with me.
Is this here for a good time or a long time?
It’s always a good time at Dutch Rules. We plan on being around for a while; we have a lot of projects we want to work on and a lot more gin we want to make so watch this space. Next step is the kitchen and restaurant opening at the end of the year.
Where can I buy it?
The best place to buy a bottle is either at the distillery or via our website. We have our gin behind the bar in heaps of cool places around the city too, if you head to our Instagram we have most of them listed there.
@dutchrulesdistillingco, dutchrulesdistilling.com.au