No Spirits (in J) Masquerading as COVID? [Back from Apr 2022]

[VPS]

I just don't get why when Australia makes some amazing gins that these companies provide Tanqueray - I hope someone mentioned that at the lounge opening today

 

[Daver6]

I just don't get why when Australia makes some amazing gins that these companies provide Tanqueray - I hope someone mentioned that at the lounge opening today

One word for you. Cost.

 

[love_the_life]

One word for you. Cost.

and supply security requirements.Have to be able to know that the product can be supplied in the volume needed.

 

[VPS]

One word for you. Cost.

and supply security requirements.Have to be able to know that the product can be supplied in the volume needed.

Sorry - I don't get either of those arguments (I'm not disagreeing with you about the cost but surely someone could do a deal to get their gin in there and do we have to have the same gin every week in every lounge)

YMMV

 

[jakeseven7]

I just don't get why when Australia makes some amazing gins that these companies provide Tanqueray - I hope someone mentioned that at the lounge opening today

It’s all mass produced factory made cheap stuff.

 

[Daver6]

Sorry - I don't get either of those arguments (I'm not disagreeing with you about the cost but surely someone could do a deal to get their gin in there and do we have to have the same gin every week in every lounge)

YMMV

I'm sure they're doing a deal on the Tanqueray already. Then having to manage each lounge with a different deal requires someone's time and effort. Ie more cost.

 

[nutwood]

I'm sure they're doing a deal on the Tanqueray already. Then having to manage each lounge with a different deal requires someone's time and effort. Ie more cost.

Not really a lot of cost, just a bit of care factor. The people ordering for the lounges are employed anyway.

 

[justinbrett]

It’s all mass produced factory made cheap stuff.

Pretty much all spirits are mass produced and made in distilleries (which are factories).

Mass produced does not necessarily equal cheap. Tanquerray and Beef Eater are both perfectly fine house gins. The deal is probably an exclusive deal with a distributor and locks them into certain brands.

Newcastle Airport stocks local gins in its bad - I’m quite fond of “The Farmers Wife” gin.

 

[samh004]

Come on Qantas... even Virgin Australia's lounges have spirits now!

Qantas lounges didn't stop stocking spirits... it's onboard that's the issue!

One word for you. Cost.

and supply security requirements.Have to be able to know that the product can be supplied in the volume needed.

I also concur this doesn't make much sense, as someone who has been to the London Qantas Lounge when it was open a few times and tried their interesting gins on offer. Probably not the smallest, boutique-y ones you can find, but plenty of smaller distillers from Australia, and they managed to get them all the way to the UK!

 

[jakeseven7]

Pretty much all spirits are mass produced and made in distilleries (which are factories).

Mass produced does not necessarily equal cheap. Tanquerray and Beef Eater are both perfectly fine house gins. The deal is probably an exclusive deal with a distributor and locks them into certain brands.

Newcastle Airport stocks local gins in its bad - I’m quite fond of “The Farmers Wife” gin.

Sorry, clarified for you- Globally mass produced in factories bigger than the MCG owned by multinational corporations who own loads of other labels with no real essence of who they once were, just another brand bought and added to a bottling line.

The only reason the airlines use them is that they are cheap, do multi brand deals because their cost of production is so low because they churn out so much of them - even despite the fact they have to ship them halfway across the world to us.

I agree with the OP it would be nice if there was more support for locally made and owned manufacturers but unfortunately the $ focus is first and foremost.

 

[BD1959]

I love my gins as much as the next person, but Australian gins are not high on my preference list .. but we digress ...

Regards,

BD

 

[nutwood]

I love my gins as much as the next person, but Australian gins are not high on my preference list .. but we digress ...

Regards,

BD

Our local distillery's gin won gold at the Berlin International Spirits Awards, so presumably they were ticking the boxes for the international palate.

 

[VPS]

I love my gins as much as the next person, but Australian gins are not high on my preference list .. but we digress ...

Regards,

BD

Really - there are 100's now and I'm surprised you don't like any of them. We do digress - maybe the mods should move this to the gin thread

 

[nutwood]

Really - there are 100's now and I'm surprised you don't like any of them. We do digress - maybe the mods should move this to the gin thread

It's a fairly light hearted thread. Surely a bit of digression is permissible? Personally, unless it becomes excessive, I like it when threads wander OT. More like a conversation, less like an essay.

 

[BD1959]

Our local distillery's gin won gold at the Berlin International Spirits Awards, so presumably they were ticking the boxes for the international palate.

Adelaide Gin? Haven't had a chance to try that yet ... must keep an eye out for it.

Really - there are 100's now and I'm surprised you don't like any of them.

Now then, I didn't say I didn't like any Australian gins, I said they're not my preference. And you're right, there are 100s and to date I've probably sampled no more than - say - 40 ... "BD must try harder" continues to haunt me from my school days!!

I commend QF codeshare partner EK on allowing me to sample Sipsmith in the sky - although I prefer Scapegrace as the basis for my breakfast martini ... does this start to bring enough QF content in to the conversation to keep it relevant??

Regards,

BD

 

[nutwood]

Adelaide Gin? Haven't had a chance to try that yet ... must keep an eye out for it.

Since when has Adelaide been in Tasmania? Save me some travelling if it was, but I was referring to Adams Distillery in Perth, Tasmania. They had a fairly nasty fire recently, with an employee seriously burnt. No doubt they'll be back. In the meanwhile, never hurts to support the product!

 

[justinbrett]

Sorry, clarified for you- Globally mass produced in factories bigger than the MCG owned by multinational corporations who own loads of other labels with no real essence of who they once were, just another brand bought and added to a bottling line.

The only reason the airlines use them is that they are cheap, do multi brand deals because their cost of production is so low because they churn out so much of them - even despite the fact they have to ship them halfway across the world to us.

I agree with the OP it would be nice if there was more support for locally made and owned manufacturers but unfortunately the $ focus is first and foremost.

I’ve been to the Bombay Sapphire distillery in England (several times actually) and it’s really not that big. It’s a reasonably small staff that put a lot of attention into their product.

Gin not being aged is a lot simpler to produce and can be bottled right away makes it a smaller operation.

There’s some great Australian gins. Four Pillars and the Green Ant Gin come to mind. But a lot of the mainstream gins are good to - Hendricks, Sipsmith, Bombay...

Im actually not a fan of Ink Gin. I think it’s a bit of a gimmick - the actual taste is nothing to write home about. Each to their own I guess.

At the end of the day they are free. I’m not complaining

 

[BD1959]

Since when has Adelaide been in Tasmania? Save me some travelling if it was, but I was referring to Adams Distillery in Perth, Tasmania. They had a fairly nasty fire recently, with an employee seriously burnt. No doubt they'll be back. In the meanwhile, never hurts to support the product!

Sorry, nutwood, for some reason I got the impression you're SA-based ... I should take up drink!

Regards,

BD

 

[RichardMEL]

OT a bit but a really great local producer is Eastview Estate in Northern NSW near Armidale. a.k.a Dobson's. The main bloke (Dobson) is an amazing character. Aussie, but worked for years in hollywood doing I think Cinematography. Then he had a brain tumor or something and retired from that up to the rural life and set up this distillery. I am not a gin drinker but my mate who is says his is the best she has ever had. I can confirm his vodka is amazing. I think he calls it Pure or something like that. Obviously small batches and the like but it's amazing stuff.. and even visiting the place and doing a tasting (and having the tour and stories etc) is well worth it imo.

 

[nutwood]

There's a lot of boutique distilleries around the country. It'd be a nice touch if Qantas could find a way to slot a little of their product into the domestic planes. Given a bit of imagination, it wouldn't be that hard to do and it would give a nice local flavour to travel.