A Myponga family are opening a distillery and function space just in time for summer.
When Shane Magor entered his first batch of Fleurieu Gin into a competition, he won a silver medal.
“My wife thinks I fluked it,” Shane tells CityMag.
“You did fluke it!” his wife, Kylie interjects.
Taking some feedback on board from the first competition, Shane tweaked his ratios and entered the same gin in the Australian Gin Awards, this time taking home the gold.
“He’s just nailed it every time and done very well with them all,” Kylie says.
Shane, formerly a real estate agent, developed his passion for distilling after switching from beer to G&Ts.
The Fleurieu Dry gin uses eight botanicals and locally sourced fruits, with humble beginnings as test batches were distilled while homebound due to the Covid pandemic.
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“We passed the bottles over the fence to neighbours and friends, and the feedback was it was drinkable,” Shane says about the early days.
“Once people taste ours, they generally love it and that’s the key, is to get people to taste it once you’re a new brand,” he says.
“The moment they do taste it, the feedback has been incredible.”
The Aussie Gold contemporary gin has been particularly popular in the distillery’s early days.
The husband-and-wife duo are opening their distillery on the coast, about an hour-and-a-quarter drive from Adelaide, with a restaurant, cellar door and event space.
Shane says the prime location has been in his family since 1950.
“We’re fortunate to be a third-generation Magor with some beautiful farming land at Myponga on the Fleurieu Peninsula,” he says.
“We’ve got an abundance of green lawn out the front, so it is a brand-new site tailor-made for a big cellar door and restaurant.
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People can come there and have private functions, we can do weddings, or if they just drop in for a gin flight and a taste, and they can buy bottles there as well and by the glass.”
The venue can host up to 200 people. This picture: via Facebook.
The restaurant menu is still being finalised but will start with classics like pizzas, fish and chips and share platters to pair with the gin selection.
There’ll also be the occasional food truck, such as Mexican Madness, parked on the lawns to satisfy crowd cravings.
As for the bar, expect the full range of Fleurieu Dry, Aussie Gold, Fleurieu Sunset, Juniper Boom and Pepper Berry Blue gins paired with tonic or in a cocktail along with a range of local beer and wines.
Shane & Kylie’s sons Josh and Jaiden and daughter Sophie. The siblings will help out behind the bar and waiting tables through the family business’ first summer.
They’ve started hosting private functions and will be opening to the public later in December.
“We’re hoping to be extremely busy and have a big summer up there,” Kylie says.
“Early indications are that we will be very well supported by all the locals and hopefully it’ll be something good for the region,” Shane says.
“There’s nothing really like this down this far, you’ve got good options at McLaren Vale with Never Never but a little bit further down south, we’re hoping to be a drawcard for the Fleurieu.”
Fleurieu Gin is at 464 Forktree Road, Myponga and is due to open next week. For bookings or event enquiries visit their website or Instagram.